The Truth About Cats and Dogs
by LucretiaDecoy
Summary: Kirara takes human form, and the others soon discover she is quite the outspoken upstart. Mirrors/mocks the storyline of Pride and Prejudice. KagInu, MirSan, Kirmess. (Repost of 2005 fic).
1. Sango's Wish

**A/N:** The concept of this fic may seem a bit far-fetched at first, but please, bear with me! The beginning is set during the episodes when Kagome has a fever and returns to her own time, with Inuyasha watching over her. The remaining chapters then fork off from that point into an A/U situation.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters within. I also don't own the idea of why Kirara has always appeared in cat form, I owe that idea to Catney – used with her permission!

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – Sango's Wish**

Miroku leaned over the old well, staring down into its murky depths. Shippo eagerly leapt up opposite him, leaning so far over the edge of the well, he almost fell right in.

"I hope Kagome is alright, they've been gone a long time!" Shippo said.

"Don't worry Shippo," Miroku assured him. "Kagome will recover much faster back in her own time. And with Inuyasha by her side, nursing her back to health, I'm pretty sure she'll be back before we know it."

Sango let out a soft sigh, hanging her head. Although her gesture was small, it did not go unnoticed by the others.

"Is something troubling you, Sango?" Miroku called to her.

"Oh, it's probably nothing," she replied dismissively, her eyes wandering to her faithful cat companion Kirara.

Sango managed a small smile as Kirara, in her small cat form, began to purr sweetly and rub against her ankles.

"You seem sad, Sango," Miroku began, turning fully towards her. "Perhaps I can help sooth your nerves–"

"Take one step closer Miroku, and you'll be wearing that staff!" Sango warned the monk as his hand began to reach towards her.

Miroku let out a short, nervous laugh, feigning innocence; but not even Shippo was convinced by his act.

"What's wrong, Sango?" Shippo asked, skipping over to her side.

"I've been thinking about Kohaku a lot," Sango confessed, her eyes still on Kirara. "If Naraku has disappeared somewhere, did he take Kohaku with him? Or is Kohaku with that evil wind witch, Kagura?"

"I could read a sutra, or say a special prayer for him if you like," Miroku offered.

"Really?" Sango asked, daring to smile as she lifted her head to look directly at Miroku.

"Why certainly, my dear Sango!" Miroku replied. "We can retire early tonight, and before we lie down together in bed, I shall–"

"Lie down together?" Sango growled through tightly clenched teeth. "You really are a lecherous monk, Miroku! But you have given me a very good idea. I think it's just what I need to help me find some peace in my heart."

Miroku paused, his disbelief momentarily overwhelming him.

"Sango, I thought you'd never say yes!" he eventually said, opening his arms and walking towards her, his eyes closed and a huge grin plastered across his face.

Miroku closed his arms around an empty space, opening his eyes to find that Sango had turned her back on him and begun to walk away.

"Huh?" he muttered in confusion.

"Sango!" Shippo called after her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to my village for a couple of days," Sango called back over her shoulder. "Kagome and Inuyasha won't be back any time soon, so I'm going to use the time to return to my village. If anything happens I'll return early. If not, I'll see you in three days."

"Bye, Sango!" Shippo called, waving a hand above his head.

"Sango…" Miroku moaned, dropping to his knees as he watched Kirara transform into her larger, fire-cat form.

"I'll only be gone for three days!" Sango called back to them as she leapt onto Kirara's back. "Nothing's going to happen in three days!"

Shippo watched Sango and Kirara depart until they had disappeared from sight. He then turned to where Miroku had been, his eyes doubling in size when he saw that Miroku was gone.

"Miroku?" he called, looking all around himself. "Not you too! Don't leave me here all alone! Miroku!"

Shippo started to run back towards the village, but skidded to a halt as he spotted Miroku standing with a young girl from the village. Miroku was holding one of the girl's hands in both of his own, an intense expression creasing his features.

"Would you consider having my first born child?" he asked her.

Shippo groaned, falling over backwards in despair.

Sango was knelt low by the grave of an old friend, a girl who had been a few years older than her, who had helped her train when she was young. The last time Sango had seen the girl had been when they were collecting flowers from a nearby field. Sango's father had called her in to accompany him on a mission to slay a demon, neither knowing that it would be their last mission together.

There were so many dead, and it seemed like every time she returned to her old village, Sango remembered another face, another name, another friend, or another relative who had perished.

"It's just not fair…" she said aloud, her voice quivering as tears began to form in her eyes. "I'm all alone…"

Sango swiped a hand impatiently at her eyes, wiping away her tears.

"I have to be strong, I have to avenge their deaths," she said to herself. "And I'm not totally alone, I have Kagome and Miroku and Inuyasha and Shippo… But it's not the same. I miss my friends. I miss my friends I played with when I was a child, I miss the friends I trained with for all those years, the friends who really knew me…"

Sango sighed, wiping at her eyes again with the back of her hand.

"I just wish that…" she began softly. "I wish that I had a friend who would always stand by me, a friend I could really talk to, a friend who understood what I feel."

Sango stared at the wilting flowers laid on the grave in front of her until the tears in her eyes blurred them out of her vision. She closed her eyes and hung her head low, sighing again; but Sango's sadness was quickly replaced by shock and fear as she felt a hand touch her shoulder.

"Miroku?" she asked tentatively, lifting her head. "Is that you, Miroku?"

"What did you just call me?" a girl's voice asked.

"Kagome?" Sango echoed. "How did you get here?"

Sango turned her head towards the figure standing over her, squinting against the late evening sun to make out the face that was looking back down at her. But, thanks to the angle of the sun, all Sango could see was the silhouette of a young woman, dressed in what looked like very old battle armour, her long hair pinned up at either side of her head, and falling down over her shoulders.

"Ayame?" Sango asked, all thoughts of her sadness vanishing as confusion fully set in. "What are you doing here?"

Sango stood up, the hand slipping from her shoulder as she did so. Sango began brushing the dirt from her thighs, her mind momentarily preoccupied.

"If you're looking for Koga, I've got no idea where he is," Sango began. "All I know is that he's looking for Naraku, just like we are."

"Please, don't get me started on Koga!" the girl replied, in what sounded like a tone of disgust.

"But I thought you were in love with him, Ayame!" Sango said lightly, dropping her hands to her sides and looking up at the girl before her. "Wait a minute, you're not Ayame! Who are you?"

The girl frowned at Sango, looking as confused as Sango felt right then.

"Isn't it obvious who I am?" the girl asked.

Sango, deciding that since the girl had asked the question in such a way that suggested Sango must be stupid if she could not recognise the girl before her, carefully assessed her situation before replying. She was standing facing a girl who was slightly taller than she was, and who was slight in build. She was dressed in full battle armour, looking more like an army general than the waif of a girl that she actually was. And, despite her clothing, she carried no weapons.

Studying the girl a little closer, Sango saw that she had pointed, clawed fingernails, just like Inuyashas, and that she had a set of fangs just like Inuyasha's, and a pair of small, pointed ears, just like Shippo's. She was obviously some sort of demon, and she was either a very important demon, or simply a demon who thought herself very important, Sango thought to herself, as she again ran her eyes over the intricate designs carved out in silver over her body armour.

And yet the girl's face defied her proud stance and noble clothing. She had the face of girl around Sango's age, with large green eyes. Her hair was blonde around her head, but the sections she had tied back at either side of her head were black, making her look like a raccoon; and making Sango suddenly want to laugh at her.

"You have broken the spell, Sango," the girl continued, smiling slightly as she spoke. "I've waited so long for someone to break the spell, I thought I would never be free again! And do you know, I always knew it would be you who freed me, Sango! You always were my best friend! And now we can be real best friends!"

"Best friends?" Sango repeated, meeting the girl's eyes. "Oh, I get it now! You're a demon, born of my longing and desire for a friend! Well, I already have enough strange demons as friends, and I did come here to be alone–"

"You did not come here to be alone!" the girl interrupted Sango, her eyebrows lowering as she scowled angrily. "You came here to get away from that lecherous monk!"

"Miroku?" Sango echoed, something inside of her becoming distinctly unsettled: how did this demon girl know about Miroku?

"That's right!" the girl replied with a nod of her head. "At least when Kagome is there he only touches you half as much!"

"But…"

"But nothing! And don't think I haven't seen the way you look at him, young lady! You know, you could do a lot better than that monk! What about Kuranosuke? He adores you, and he's a Lord!"

"How do you know all these things?"

"Weren't you listening to me? I said you broke the spell! You allowed me to take human form again! To talk again! I really missed talking. You know, it's amazing how much you miss talking when you can't do it any more."

"You're starting to annoy me, demon!"

"What?"

"Kirara, take care of this demon!"

Sango pointed at the girl in front of her, remaining frozen on the spot as she waited for her faithful feline companion to leap towards the demon, snarling and bearing her fangs as reliably as ever. When nothing happened after a few seconds, Sango slowly lowered her hand, panic slowly setting in.

"Kirara?" she said softly, looking from side to side. "Kirara, where are you, girl?"

"I'm right in front of you, Sango!"

Sango gasped, locking her eyes onto the demon girl before her. Another quick glance over the girl told her nothing more, but her eyes locked back onto the girl's unusual, blonde and black hair.

'Fair on the top of her head, just like Kirara, and black at the sides of her head, just like Kirara's ears!' Sango thought to herself.

"But that's not possible!" Sango whispered. "How could you…"

The girl smiled softly, nodding her head in an understanding manner.

"It's very simple, really," she said gently. "Long ago, I befriended a young priestess. We fought demons together, but she never truly trusted me not to betray her. In order to ensure that I would always remain faithful to her, she cast a spell on me, which meant that I could no longer take human form, instead being forced to turn into a small, two-tailed cat. She promised me that if I stayed good and true, one day a human would save me. If someone cared enough for me and needed me more in my human form than in my cat form, then I would be freed from the curse."

"But…" Sango said weakly.

"Aren't you happy, Sango? This is what you wanted, wasn't it? We've been friends for so long, and now I can talk to you!"

"Ki-Kirara?" Sango asked, gulping after the word had left her mouth.

"That's right, Sango!"

Sango hesitated, eying the demon over sceptically.

"It must be true, I guess," she said slowly. "After all, you know all about Miroku and Kuranosuke and Kagome."

"And Inuyasha and Shippo and Myouga. Myouga… That little… Just let him try to suck my blood now!"

Sango yelped in fear as the girl smacked a fist into her open palm, baring her fangs.

"Oh, sorry, Sango!" she hastily apologised as she caught the fearful look on Sango's face. "It's just that there are so many things that I have longed for all this time, so many things that I have missed not having or being able to do!"

"Wow…" Sango said faintly.

"I guess now the only problem is going to be telling the others."

"I guess so… So, all this time you've been able to understand everything we've been saying? I mean, absolutely everything?"

Kirara nodded cheerfully.

"Oh no…" Sango groaned. "This is just so… Unexpected… There are so many things that… Well first of all, I guess, we should head back to Kaede's village. Kagome and Inuyasha are probably still in Kagome's era, but Miroku and Shippo will be there – you better be careful around Miroku–"

"If he puts that "Cursed Hand" of his anywhere near me, I'll bite it off!" Kirara snarled, snapping at the air to demonstrate her seriousness.

Sango jumped, her eyes widening.

"Right, okay…" Sango said slowly, one eyebrow inching upwards. "And then of course there's Shippo…"

"Shippo is a sweet child, I am certain he will understand," Kirara confidently replied.

"Well, I guess we should get going. If we have to travel on foot, the journey will take us much longer."

"You can ride on my back if you like."

Sango took a large step back from Kirara, her top lip curling and her cheeks turning red.

"Um, isn't that wrong now?" Sango asked nervously. "I feel so guilty now, if I had known you were human – well, humanlike, at least – all this time, I never would have sat on your back. And all those times all four of us sat on you… Oh Kirara, I'm so sorry!"

Kirara waved a hand dismissively in the air.

"Don't worry about it Sango, you are my friend, and I was always glad to help you in any way I could," she insisted. "And you have given me the greatest gift of all, you have broken Midoriko's spell."

"Midoriko's spell? The priestess who created the sacred jewel?"

"Yes, that's correct. Look, I'll explain it all on the way. Hop on my back, I'll carry you back."

"Hop on your back?"

"I don't mean like before, I mean I can carry you in the same way Inuyasha carries Kagome!"

"Oh, right… Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

Sango paused, her mind racing as she eyed over the humanlike demon girl before her, the true form of her favourite pet for over twelve years. Inside her mind Sango heard herself calling to Miroku, telling him nothing would happen in the three days she should be gone.

"I'm not even gone three hours, and look what's happened already…" she muttered. "Me and my big mouth."

Sango forced a smile, part of her finding it impossible not to smile when Kirara was grinning at her so earnestly. She took a deep breath and marched up to Kirara, momentarily wondering just how Kirara's slender body would manage to carry Sango and her weapon, and still manage to move faster than Sango would on her own.

"Hold on tight, Sango!" Kirara said cheerfully.

"Sure," Sango replied, resting her hands on Kirara's armour-covered shoulders.

"Here we go!"

Sango let out a scream as Kirara took off, bounding out of the village at a speed that would surely rival Inuyasha's, and possible even keep pace with Koga. Gripping her fingers into Kirara's armour, Sango closed her eyes and screamed again as Kirara took a seemingly suicidal leap off of a ledge, letting out a cry of joy.

Sango groaned loudly as Kirara landed hard on her feet, but she did not get the opportunity to recover as Kirara ran on, leaping up onto the rocky hillside and soaring from rock to rock. Sango cautiously opened one eye, every muscle in her body still tense.

"I don't know how Kagome does this!" she muttered.

Sango's other eye opened as she caught sight of a cliff edge approaching.

"Kirara?" she asked nervously as Kirara sprinted towards the edge. "Kirara! Kira-raaaaaaaaaaa!"

Sango screamed out the last syllable of her companion's name as they plummeted through the air, her voice breaking as Kirara grabbed onto the branches of a tall tree, slowing their descent, before swinging herself around and pouncing onto the branches of the next tree along with the grace that only a feline could possess.

As they continued their journey, Sango continued to scream and groan in fear and shock, and Kirara continued to yell and whoop in joy and jubilation.

"I'm free!" Kirara yelled, propelling herself into the air from a flexible branch of a tree, spreading out her arms and legs as she flew through the air, oblivious to Sango's cries of despair behind her.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** After Kirara explains her story to Sango, Sango finally accepts Kirara's new human form. But how will Miroku and Shippo react? **Chapter 2 – Kirara's Tale.**


	2. Kirara's Tale

**Recap:** Sango wished for a friend who understood her, and inadvertently reversed a spell cast on her fire-cat demon companion Kirara, changing Kirara into a human-form demon.

* * *

 **Chapter 2 – Kirara's Tale**

Kirara squatted down, waiting for Sango to climb off her back. Her smile faded as she saw Sango stagger to one side, sway uneasily on her feet and then finally fall backwards, her Hiraikotsu stabbing into the ground. Sango slid down against her weapon until the rope that usually hung over her shoulder was suddenly wrapped around her throat, and she found herself hanging from her own Hiraikotsu.

"Sango!" Kirara said, hurrying over to unhook her from the rope. "Are you alright?"

"I'm never doing that again," Sango said, falling forwards onto all fours. "I don't know how Kagome does it…"

"Oops, sorry Sango!" Kirara said. "I was a little excited about being able to run and jump like that again. You see, in my cat form before, I was so small and weak, I could never do things like that!"

"Small and weak?" Sango repeated, pushing herself up onto her knees and turning her head towards Kirara. "You were huge!"

"Huge?" Kirara echoed, her large green eyes looking momentarily lost. "Oh, you mean my demon form! No, I can still use my demon form! I was talking about my little kitty-cat form!"

"You can still transform into a big fire-cat?"

"Of course I can!"

"Wow… And you were Midoriko's companion, yes?"

"Yes. She put the spell on me. And after she died, I stayed by her grave for many years, in the hope that when someone returned the Shikon Jewel, they would return her soul, and undo my spell. But of course, I was wrong. Then I spent a long time trying to find the Shikon Jewel myself, to use it to undo the spell. But then I decided that Midoriko must have placed the spell on me for a reason. She wanted me to gain the trust and friendship of humans, and so I returned to the village, and I began helping young female demonslayers. Of course, the problem with befriending mortals, is that they all die, and I was always so sad when one of my friends died. But I had to keep going. I knew that I had to break the spell. Midoriko wanted me to break it. She did it to test me, to make me prove that my heart was true, and now I've finally done it. And it's all thanks to you, Sango!"

"Wow… And the spell broke during our pursuit of the Shikon Jewel, how ironic… And I never would have guessed that you were so old, but I suppose being a demon, you do have a much longer life than us humans. So, what are you going to do now?"

Kirara stared blankly at Sango as though she had not understood the question.

"What do you mean?" Kirara asked.

"Well, will you stay with us?" Sango asked. "Will you continue to travel with us as we search for Naraku and try to complete the sacred jewel?"

"Of course I will!" Kirara hurriedly replied. "You're my best friend Sango, I would never leave you!"

"Oh…"

Sango hesitated as she thought this over, a smile slowly creeping onto her face.

"I really did get what I wished for," she said, meeting Kirara's eyes.

"Yes!" Kirara agreed. "And if you ever miss stroking me, I can transform into my fire-cat form!"

"Um…"

Sango sweat-dropped awkwardly, but Kirara appeared not to notice.

"It's late, we should go inside," Kirara suggested.

Sango frowned, turning her attention to the horizon, where the sun was starting to rise.

"And we've been up all night…" Kirara added, her armour clunking as she stretched her arms above her head. "Unless you slept while I was carrying you?"

"Not a wink," Sango dryly replied. "Let's go to bed."

Sango led the way to the front entrance of Kaede's hut, slapping aside the bamboo flap. Inside, Kaede and Shippo were asleep at the back corner of the hut, but Miroku was sitting huddled over a small fire, his hands cupped around a half-drunk bowl of tea.

"Sango!" he blurted as she crossed the room towards him. "You're back already? I was just… Having an early morning, it's such a nice day outside already!"

"Early morning?" Sango snorted, eying him over suspiciously. "You look like you haven't slept all night. What have you been doing all this time?"

"Sitting thinking about you, Sango," Kirara drawled sarcastically from behind Sango.

"Huh?" Miroku grunted, looking over Sango's shoulder at the source of the second voice. "Who are you?"

Miroku's eyes slowly widened, and he got to his feet.

"Is that one of those panther demons, Sango?" he asked Sango, pointing at Kirara.

"Panther demon?" Kirara echoed. "How dare you! I'm a fire-cat you fool! Would you like me to demonstrate?"

"No need," Miroku replied. "Sango, what are you doing with this demon?"

"Miroku, you should probably sit down before I tell you."

"Sango?" Shippo groaned, sitting up from his sleep, rubbing at his eyes with his fists. "Is that you? Gee, you sure came back quick! Did you miss Miroku? Where's Kirara?"

Miroku frowned as he caught the look on Sango's face changing with each of Shippo's questions: from a bashful, girlish expression to a look of shock and almost guilt. Miroku lowered his eyes to Sango's empty hands, and then down to her feet.

"What's going on, Sango?" he asked. "Where is Kirara? And where is your Hiraikotsu?"

"Oh, I left it outside…" Sango vaguely replied, pointing at the nearby wall of the hut.

"Kirara or your Hiraikotsu?"

"My Hiraikotsu."

"So where's Kirara?"

Before Sango could answer Miroku, they were both distracted by Shippo, who was creeping towards Kirara, sniffing at her cautiously.

"Say, you smell familiar, do I know you?" Shippo asked, looking up at Kirara.

"Um…" Kirara began nervously, her eyes wide, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Shippo, Miroku, this is Kirara," Sango said with a sigh, deciding it was best to just get the introductions over and done with. "While we were away I made a wish that released her from an old spell that had held her in the form of a cat. Now she's free, she can take the form of a human again."

"Kirara?" Shippo said in disbelief, falling onto his rear as he stared up at her face.

"You mean to tell us that all this time Kirara was a humanoid demon, trapped inside the body of a cat?" Miroku said. "All those times I sat on her, she was really a pretty young lady?"

Kirara snarled at Miroku as he reached his cursed hand out towards her, her eyes glowing red and her fangs and claws lengthening.

"Such a pity she's a demon…" Miroku sighed, retracting his hand in defeat.

"Wow Kirara, so how does it feel to be able to talk again?" Shippo asked Kirara.

"It feels wonderful, thank you for asking," Kirara politely replied. "And I want to thank you for always being so kind to me, Shippo."

"No problem, Kirara!" Shippo replied. "I bet you've got lots to say to everybody now that you can talk!"

"You're damn right I do…" Kirara growled, fixing her eyes onto Miroku as he reached a hand towards the distracted Sango.

"And since none of us have slept all night, why don't we all get some rest, hm?" Sango hurriedly suggested, putting one hand on Miroku's shoulder to halt his movements, and one on Kirara's shoulder to stop her from taking a swipe at Miroku. "We can discuss this in more detail in the morning."

Kirara nodded her understanding, walking over to the back wall of the hut and sitting down, resting her back against the wall. Shippo joyously leapt into her lap, curling up and drifting back off to sleep almost instantly.

"And the first thing we're going to do when we wake is get you some real clothes, Kirara," Sango added, eying over her companion's bulky, old and unnecessary armour.

"But these are the clothes of a warrior!" Kirara argued back, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb Shippo. "I am proud to wear these clothes!"

"Maybe Kagome could get you some clothes, Kirara," Miroku suggested.

Sango and Kirara both eyed Miroku suspiciously as he closed his eyes, a sly smirk appearing on his face as he became lost in thought.

"There's a dressmaker at the other side of the village, Kirara, we'll go there when we wake," Sango said to Kirara. "We can't wait until Kagome returns, and I don't trust Miroku to leave you alone if you're dressed in something as revealing as that skirt that Kagome wears."

"But Sango, that skirt is part of Kagome's school uniform!" Miroku hurriedly pointed out, opening his eyes to look at her as he spoke.

"I know," Sango replied, rolling her eyes. "But the people in Kagome's era are weird."

Sango gathered up her blanket and walked over to Kirara's side, lying down not far from Kirara by the back wall. Miroku cheerfully collected his own blanket and walked over, sitting down in the small space between the two women, smiling at each of them in turn. When both simply glowered back at him, Miroku sighed in defeat, gathering up his blanket and moving off to the other side of the room.

"He is such a pervert…" Kirara grumbled under her breath.

Sango gave a small smile as she watched Miroku settle down in the opposite corner, an action that did not go unnoticed by Kirara, who bared her teeth at the monk, an almost inaudible growl rumbling in her throat. One of the most frustrating things about not being able to talk, she thought to herself, was that she had never been able to give her true opinion on anything or anyone before.

But that was all about to change.

* * *

"This is a beautiful material, Kirara!" Sango said, holding out a length of pale pink linen for her to see.

Kirara scrunched up her nose sceptically, before turning to the elderly woman sat before them.

"I'm a warrior," she explained, thumping a fist against the metal plate that covered her torso. "I need clothes that befit a soldier. Can you help me?"

"Don't you want to get something a little more comfortable for travelling in?" Sango asked her quietly, again moving the length of pink cloth towards her.

"I'm a warrior," Kirara said again, recoiling from Sango's offer. "And I rather like the clothes I have. I would like to see Master Totosai though, I need a new sword–"

"How about this nice green colour?" Sango interrupted her, offering her a length of dull green cloth.

"I am a warrior," Kirara said, her waning patience evident in her tone as she addressed the dressmaker. "I need clothes befitting a warrior. You understand, don't you?"

The dressmaker glanced over Sango before returning her attentions to Kirara and nodding softly.

"I think I can help you, young lady," she said. "But it won't be cheap."

Kirara turned to Sango expectantly, but Sango merely shook her head.

"I don't have any money, Kirara," Sango explained.

"No, but Miroku does," Kirara plainly replied.

"Miroku doesn't have a lot of money, and he certainly doesn't part with it easily…"

"But if… Oh, never mind."

Kirara looked around herself thoughtfully, before breaking into a grin as an idea occurred to her.

"Perhaps we could make a deal, good lady," she proposed, turning back to the dressmaker. "I see you have many fine animal furs here, hunting those animals must be very hard work."

"I pay some of the young men in the village to hunt for me," the dressmaker replied.

"You pay them?" Kirara confirmed. "Then perhaps if I were to return with some fine furs for you, we could make an exchange. You will make me some fine clothing, worthy of a warrior, and I shall bring you all the furs you need."

"Kirara!" Sango hissed.

"Yes, I can do that," the dressmaker agreed. "Your new clothing will be ready the day after tomorrow."

"Right," Kirara said decisively. "In the mean time, I shall hunt and bring you the furs I gather."

"What about the Shikon Jewel?" Sango whispered to Kirara.

"What about it?" Kirara asked. "We can't search for it now, not without Kagome. I couldn't detect Naraku's scent at all last night on our journey home, nor can I detect it this morning. If I do sense anything, I will return here immediately. Otherwise, we are bound here until Kagome returns."

"I guess so…" Sango said slowly, looking down again at the green cloth in her hands.

"Maybe if I get enough furs, you could have a new kimono if you like that one so much," Kirara suggested.

"Oh…" Sango said slowly. "Well, that would be nice…"

"You stay here and let the old lady take your measurements, I will start hunting. Wish me luck."

Kirara skipped out of the hut, leaving Sango standing in the middle of the floor, two large sheets of material draped over her arms.

"But…" she began.

Sango placed the materials down and hurried over to the door, pushing the flap aside. Ahead of her she saw Kirara jogging off towards the trees; as she watched, Kirara leapt into the air, transforming into her more familiar fire-cat form and flying off over the tops of the trees.

"This is going to take a lot of getting used to…" she muttered to herself, allowing the flap to drop shut again. "But since she did offer…"

Sango smiled at the array of fabrics around her, images of herself wrapped in luxurious silk kimonos dancing through her mind.

"Now my dear, what can I do for you?" the dressmaker asked her.

"Well…" Sango began.

* * *

Kagome sighed, resting her chin on her upturned palm. Behind her, Inuyasha was leaping between eras, collecting all the bags and bags of food and supplies he had insisted on taking with them. She was beginning to regret having taken him shopping with her back in her own time, but at least, she thought to herself, she would have some tasty food to eat for the next few days. Or weeks.

"That's the last of 'em, Kagome," Inuyasha called to her.

"Right," Kagome began, standing up.

Kagome opened her mouth to continue talking, but when she turned around and saw the multitude of bags lying around the well she merely let out a whimper of despair.

"Inuyasha!" she moaned.

"Do you think we got enough dried potatoes?" Inuyasha asked, grabbing up a giant bag of spicy potato chips.

"I think we have enough potato chips to last us until Christmas, Inuyasha," Kagome dryly replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "How are we going to get all of this stuff back to the village? And, more importantly, how are we going to carry all this stuff with us when we travel?"

"Well, I was thinking, we've lost all traces of Naraku, so we don't really need to hurry…" Inuyasha began, opening the bag of potato chips in his hands.

"So you want me to carry all of these bags?" Kagome snapped, the word "sit" at the forefront of her mind as she watched Inuyasha munch into a handful of potato chips.

"Course not, stupid!" he scoffed, spraying crumbs everywhere as he spoke. "We could just strap them all to Kirara's back. Sango and Miroku won't need to ride her if we aren't travelling too fast. You can ride your bike, Shippo can sit in the basket, Sango can sit on the back, Miroku and I will both walk, and Kirara can carry the bags."

"Oh, I never thought of that," Kagome said, her anger subsiding. "But are you sure Kirara is strong enough to carry all these bags?"

"She can carry all of us, can't she? We'll just tie them all around her body, and she'll just walk on like normal."

"Okay. I'll go back to the village and get her now, she can help us carry these bags back there."

"Okay. I'll wait here."

Kagome set off for the village, leaving Inuyasha behind. Inuyasha sat on the edge of the well wall, eating more rapidly and with less grace once Kagome had disappeared from sight. Just as he was chewing his way through his last mouthful, Inuyasha caught the scent of a demon, his sensitive ears twitching as he heard something moving in the trees far behind him.

Inuyasha swallowed the contents of his mouth, dropping down the empty bag and turning in the direction of the demonic aura. There was definitely something in the trees, something quite powerful; but his senses could not distinguish exactly what it was. It smelt familiar, but he could not decide just who the scent belonged to, as the air was rapidly filling with the smell of the blood of various animals.

His concern rising, Inuyasha decided to head into the trees to see what it was. He leapt over the wall and started across the clearing, stopping halfway as he saw a shadow moving through the trees. The slow, methodical way the figure was walking instantly put Inuyasha on edge. As the figure drew closer, nearing the edge of the trees, Inuyasha could make out that it was the tall silhouette of a longhaired demon, dressed in what looked like an ancient warrior's battle clothes.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha growled quietly to himself, tearing the Tetsusaiga from its sheath and readying himself for a fight.

As he tensed into a fighting stance, Inuyasha kept his eyes fixed on the demon. He could not see the annoying little toad demon his brother kept with him or the two-headed dragon demon, but he was certain it was Sesshomaru.

"What are you doing here?" he yelled.

Just then, the demon stepped out of the trees and into the light, stopping abruptly.

"Inuyasha?" a girl's voice called to him.

"What the…?" Inuyasha began, straightening out of his defensive stance.

Standing by the edge of the trees was a female demon, with hair as long as his own only it appeared to be blonde and black as opposed to silver. She was wearing clothes not too dissimilar to Sesshomaru's, the clothing of a noble soldier. Both her hands were at her shoulders, supporting what looked like a pile of animal skins that rested over her shoulders.

"What do you want here, demon?" Inuyasha demanded, pointing his sword at her.

"Inuyasha, you're back already!" she replied. "Where is Kagome?"

Inuyasha faltered, the demon's ease and familiarity beginning to make him feel highly uncomfortable. He tried to recover his composure to warn the demon away, when he heard Kagome screaming from the village, the sound shattering his already raw nerves.

"You got a lucky escape, demon!" Inuyasha warned the demon girl, dropping the Tetsusaiga back into its sheath and hurrying off towards the village.

Inuyasha was back in the village in a matter of seconds, skidding to a halt as he sighted Kagome. He grunted in confusion when he saw that she was standing with Sango, her jaw hanging shamelessly open and her eyes the size of saucers.

"What the hell's going on over here?" Inuyasha asked no-one in particular.

"There have been some developments while you were away," Miroku explained, joining him at his side. "I trust Kagome is feeling much better?"

"Yeah, I gave her some of my liver potion," Inuyasha casually replied.

"Ah yes, an excellent remedy," Miroku agreed. "And that worked better than any of the medicines in Kagome's own era?"

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"Hey, Inuyasha!" Shippo called, bounding over to Inuyasha's side. "Did you hear the news?"

"No," Inuyasha began, bending down and grabbing a hand around Shippo's bushy tail. "But you're going to tell me what the hell's going on around here, got that?"

"Ow, ow, let me go, Inuyasha!" Shippo cried.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled. "Sit boy!"

"Ha, ha!" Shippo squealed, as Inuyasha released him and fell, face-first, to the ground.

"Shippo…" Inuyasha growled, his voice muffled in the ground as he waited for the effects of the spell to lift.

Shippo quickly scurried away from Inuyasha, leaping into Kagome's arms. As Kagome and Sango continued their conversation, Miroku squatted down next to Inuyasha.

"So, did you bring back supplies from Kagome's era?" he asked.

"Yeah," Inuyasha slowly replied, pushing himself up. "We've got bags of stuff, Kagome was meant to be getting Kirara to carry it back for us."

Inuyasha began brushing the dirt from his clothing, oblivious to the horrified look on Miroku's face next to him.

"Inuyasha?" Miroku began nervously.

"What is it, Miroku?" Inuyasha asked, still distracted by the dust on his clothing.

"About Kirara…"

"Yeah?"

Inuyasha looked up, his eyes locking onto Kirara, who was bounding across the village ahead of them in her fire-cat form, heading towards the forest.

"Well, something's different about her, you see," Miroku continued. "While you were away Inuyasha, she–"

"Save it, Miroku," Inuyasha interrupted him, running off towards Kirara.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled after him. "Wait!"

"Huh?" Sango muttered, turning her attention to Inuyasha as he ran off.

"I didn't get the chance to explain it to him yet!" Miroku explained.

"Oh no!" Kagome said, turning to watch as Inuyasha pounced at Kirara.

"Hey, Kirara, get back here!" Inuyasha yelled, grabbing a handful of the fur at the back of her head as she tried to fly.

Kirara let out a snarl of pain as Inuyasha tugged her back to the ground, a sound that slowly turned into a girl's voice.

"Ow! What are you doing? Let go of me!"

Inuyasha froze, his hand still gripped around what had been the blonde fur of a fire-cat, but was now the blonde hair of a demon girl.

"Huh?" he muttered, eying her over in confusion. "You're that demon who looks like Sesshomaru!"

"Get off of me, you filthy dog!" she snapped, swiping a clawed hand at Inuyasha's arm.

"Hey!" Inuyasha yelped, releasing her instantly and retracting his arm to inspect the bloody marks her claws had left.

"You are so inconsiderate, Inuyasha!" she grumbled, getting to her feet and straightening her bulky armour indignantly.

"What the hell is going on?" Inuyasha demanded. "And what did you do with Kirara?"

"I am Kirara, you idiot!"

Inuyasha sniffed at the air around her, his eyes widening at what he sensed.

"But that's not possible…" he began slowly. "How is that possible?"

"I was under a spell that bound me in the form of a small cat, but now I'm free," Kirara patiently explained, touching a hand to the back of her head where Inuyasha had grabbed her.

"Oh," Inuyasha said. "Well, that's going to cause a bit of a problem for me…"

"It is?"

"Yeah…"

Kirara frowned, the look on Inuyasha's face leaving her feeling suddenly very unsettled. Just what was he thinking?

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** What is Inuyasha thinking? And now that the gang are all reunited, what lies in store for them? The search for Naraku and the Sacred Jewel continues. **Chapter 3 – Inuyasha's Concern**.


	3. Inuyasha's Concern

**Recap:** Miroku, Shippo and Kagome all learned about Kirara's new human form, and Inuyasha came face-to-face with her, but he appeared to be concerned about something…

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – Inuyasha's Concern**

"I was under a spell that bound me in the form of a small cat, but now I'm free," Kirara patiently explained, touching a hand to the back of her head where Inuyasha had grabbed her.

"Oh," Inuyasha said. "Well, that's going to cause a bit of a problem for me…"

"It is?"

"Yeah…"

Kirara frowned, the look on Inuyasha's face leaving her feeling suddenly very unsettled. Just what was he thinking?

"Like what, exactly?' she asked slowly.

"Well, we just got back from Kagome's era, and we needed you to carry the bags," Inuyasha bluntly replied. "And you're not really a lot of use to us like that."

Kirara looked down at herself as Inuyasha waved a finger over her.

"And how are we meant to ride you now?" he added.

Kirara let out a short growl, fixing her eyes onto Inuyasha's.

"But I guess since you can obviously still transform into a fire-cat – you can still transform, right?"

"Right."

"Oh, okay. Well, there's a load of bags by the old bone eater's well. Bring them back here."

Kirara slowly narrowed her eyes, studying Inuyasha for any sign that he was mocking her somehow.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku said breathlessly as he joined them. "You didn't let me finish! Kirara has been under a spell–"

"She already told me," Inuyasha casually replied.

"And you're alright with this?" Sango asked, appearing at Inuyasha's side.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Inuyasha snorted.

"Because she's a pure demon, and now she's probably a lot stronger than you are, Inuyasha," Shippo replied, with his usual, childlike tact and grace. "And she's a cat demon. Don't cat demons and dog demons hate each other?"

"I dunno about that, but I hear cat demons like to eat annoying little fox demons who don't ever know when to shut-up," Inuyasha muttered.

"We should start preparing for our journey, we will need to leave soon," Miroku suggested, in an attempt to prevent any arguments from breaking out.

"We can't leave just yet," Kirara hurriedly pointed out. "My new clothes won't be ready until the day after tomorrow."

"Your new clothes?" Inuyasha spat. "You mean we all have to put our lives on hold just because you want some new stupid clothes?"

"Yes," Kirara tightly replied. "Almost like how we all have to put our lives on hold when you want to go back to Kagome's time to get some more stinking dog food to stuff your face with!"

"You know, I think I preferred you when you were a dumb little cat!" Inuyasha retaliated.

"I'd rather be a dumb little cat than a stupid, smelly, flea-ridden dog!" Kirara snapped.

"Hey, I don't have fleas!" Inuyasha argued, before scratching at his neck. "Myoga!"

Inuyasha growled, plucking the little flea-demon from his neck.

"Myoga?" Kirara whispered, squinting down at Inuyasha's fingers. "I have a few things I would like to say to you myself, you cowardly little insect vermin!"

"Haven't you said enough already?" Inuyasha said, eying Kirara over.

"I don't have time for this, I'm busy right now!" Kirara shortly replied.

The others watched as Kirara leapt into the air, transforming back into her more familiar fire-cat form, flying out over the trees.

"Why is she hunting for animals skins, anyway?" Inuyasha asked Sango.

"She has to do it, it was the only way she could pay the dress-maker for making her some new clothes," Sango explained.

"And she said she wants to go see Totosai for a new sword," Miroku added.

"Totosai?" Inuyasha echoed. "Like he'd ever make a sword for a stupid little girl like her! And what are you doing here, Myoga?"

"I've just come from Master Totosai's, Master Inuyasha," Myoga replied. "He has a special gift for you."

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha asked his sarcasm barely concealed. "Let me guess, the old man needs help heating up his bathwater again…"

"No, no Master Inuyasha!" Myoga hurriedly replied. "Master Totosai has a special sharpening stone for your Tetsusaiga, I just came here to ask Kirara if she would come back with me to collect it!"

"Keh, good luck getting any help out of that crazy woman," Inuyasha said, tilting his hand so that Myoga slid off to the ground.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome said, watching as Inuyasha slowly walked back towards Kaede's hut. "What's wrong with him?" she asked the others.

"He's upset because Kirara is a girl," Shippo plainly replied, before slapping a hand against the side of his face, squashing Myoga flat.

Kagome turned to Sango and Miroku, but both merely shrugged their shoulders.

"Unfortunately for us, it seems that Kirara is every bit as feisty and stubborn as Inuyasha," Miroku said with a sigh. "And so it looks like the next few days should be entertaining, to say the least…"

* * *

"Hey, stupid!"

Kirara growled impatiently, standing in her fire-cat form by the limp body of the bear she had just slaughtered.

"Look, why don't you let me help you, then we can leave quicker, alright?" Inuyasha continued, walking over to her.

Kirara transformed back into her human form, opening her mouth to answer Inuyasha – but he interrupted her before she got the chance to talk.

"Look, I didn't come here for a fight, okay?" he said, holding up one hand. "So let's just get on with this."

Kirara's jaw dropped as Inuyasha unsheathed the Tetsusaiga and began sniffing the air.

"First of all, Inuyasha," she began. "If you use that thing, you'll obliterate the animals, and I need them in one piece. Secondly, the reason this is taking so long is because the dressmaker needs this time to finish my clothes. So unless you are any good with a needle and thread Inuyasha, there is nothing you can do to hurry this process along, understand?"

"Sheesh, you are so annoying!" Inuyasha retorted, roughly re-sheathing his sword.

"Yes, the feeling is mutual," Kirara calmly replied. "And imagine how much more annoying it has been for me. Until now, I was never able to answer back."

"Yeah, and we all preferred you that way."

"Why can't you just be happy for me? Honestly Inuyasha, you must be the most emotionally retarded individual I have ever met! I've watched you play with Kagome's feelings…"

"What? You don't even know what you're talking about!"

"Actually, I–"

"Shh!"

"Don't you "shh" me!"

"Shut-up, would ya? Can't you sense that?"

Inuyasha gripped onto his Tetsusaiga, lowering his head as he concentrated all his efforts on the demonic aura that was rapidly closing in on them.

"It's a dragon, a toad and a dog!" Kirara said suddenly.

"Well done, stupid," Inuyasha grumbled. "It's my brother and his servants."

"Sesshomaru?" Kirara asked.

But before Inuyasha could answer, a shadow fell over them. Looking up, they could see the silhouette of Sesshomaru's two-headed dragon steed Ah-Un hovering high above them. Sesshomaru slid off one side of the dragon demon, floating down to the ground, landing silently and gracefully in front of Inuyasha.

"I might have known all that noise and that bad smell was coming from you, little brother," Sesshomaru greeted him coldly.

"Can it, jackass!" Inuyasha barked back at him, tugging at his Tetsusaiga.

"Don't bother, I didn't come here for a fight," Sesshomaru said calmly, causing Inuyasha to freeze on the spot. "I only came to ask if you have found Naraku yet."

"As if I'd tell you!" Inuyasha sneered.

Sesshomaru stared, unblinkingly and expressionlessly back at Inuyasha, which only aggravated Inuyasha's temper further.

"And quit staring at me!" he added.

"He's telling the truth," Kirara said, stepping forwards to stand alongside Inuyasha. "We don't know where Naraku is. We haven't been able to sense any traces of either Naraku or the Shikon Jewel. We did hear that he had–"

"I am in no humour to give consequence to filthy little cat demons who have been cast out by their own kind," Sesshomaru interrupted her, his tone as smooth and monotonous as ever, his eyes still fixed on Inuyasha. "Can you or can you not tell me where I can find Naraku?"

Inuyasha glanced at Kirara, surprised to find her staring at Sesshomaru with an almost frightened, and mildly embarrassed expression on her face.

"We heard he'd gone off to the North-East somewhere, but that's all we know," Inuyasha said. "But you needn't bother going after him Sesshomaru, I'm gonna be the one who kills Naraku!"

Sesshomaru paused a moment longer, before rising up into the air and settling back onto his dragon demon's back. As they took off again, Inuyasha turned to Kirara, even more surprised to find she was still wearing the same expression on her face, and she was still staring at the spot where Sesshomaru had been standing only moments ago.

"Keh, if I'd known it was so damn easy to get you to shut-up, I'd have said that long ago…" he muttered, more to himself than Kirara.

"What an intolerable, loathsome creature!" Kirara eventually said.

Despite the anger in her voice, Kirara's face had turned redder, and she looked more ashamed and affronted than irked or angered.

"Yeah, I call him jackass," Inuyasha replied.

"Jackass?" Kirara asked, turning to Inuyasha.

"Yeah," Inuyasha said, nodding his head. "It means stupid, ugly and annoying."

"Jackass…" Kirara muttered thoughtfully. "Hey Sesshomaru, you're a jackass!" she screamed, waving a fist in the air.

Inuyasha grinned, clapping a hand onto Kirara's shoulder.

"Welcome on board, Kirara," he said.

Kirara turned to him, smiling back at him.

"You know, it would be nice to have some company while I hunt…" she began. "And if I bring the old lady enough furs, she will make a nice kimono for Sango, and I would like to be able to give such a nice present to Sango, to say thank you to her for looking after me all these years and now for freeing me."

"Sure," Inuyasha agreed.

"Just promise you'll only use your fangs and claws," Kirara added.

"I promise."

* * *

Sango stood up from the fire they had built outside Kaede's hut, smiling as she sighted Kirara walking back from the dressmaker's hut. It was late evening, and she was certain her friend would be tired and hungry.

"Huh?" Sango muttered, as she saw Inuyasha appear behind Kirara, apparently joining up with her and talking to her.

Sango's confusion only deepened when she saw both Kirara and Inuyasha smile, and she heard Inuyasha laugh.

"I wonder what happened between them to make them suddenly like each other," Miroku commented, standing up by Sango's side.

"Inuyasha sure looks like he's enjoying himself," Kagome added, standing up at Miroku's other side.

Miroku grinned to himself, reaching out each of his hands to each of the girls. A few seconds later, Miroku staggered back, red marks on both sides of his face. He dropped clumsily to the ground, sitting by the fire. Shippo hopped over to him, frowning up at him.

"It was worth it," Miroku insisted.

"It was?" Shippo echoed curiously.

"Hey you guys, what's so funny?" Kagome greeted the duo as they joined the group.

"Oh, you wouldn't understand," Kirara replied, grinning at Inuyasha. "It's a demon thing."

Kagome faltered slightly as Kirara rubbed Inuyasha's shoulder and the two locked eyes, both smiling at each other.

"How did the hunt go?" Sango asked, sensing Kagome's awkwardness.

"It went brilliantly!" Kirara replied, moving her eyes from Inuyasha at last to look at her friend.

"We did so well, the old lady told us we don't need to find any more furs," Inuyasha added.

"But unfortunately, she still won't be finished any quicker," Kirara said. "So we thought that maybe tomorrow we would go to see Totosai."

"Yeah," Inuyasha continued. "The old man has got a sharpening stone for me, and we were hoping he could make a sword for Kirara."

"That sounds fun!" Kagome said, smiling at Inuyasha. "I'll pack my bag with supplies for one day for the six of us–"

"Nah, that's okay Kagome," Inuyasha interrupted her. "We were just gonna go on our own."

Kagome glanced back and forth between Inuyasha and Kirara nervously.

"What, just the two of you?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," Kirara confirmed. "We can get there and back much quicker if just the two of us go."

"Oh," Kagome said, a hurt expression flashing across her face.

Sango winced as she caught the look on Kagome's face, turning back to Inuyasha and Kirara to see how they had reacted; but both were looking into each other's eyes again. They began to sit down, side-by-side, at the opposite of the fire from the others, but Sango quickly stopped them.

"Kirara," she said abruptly. "Can we talk? Alone?"

"Certainly," Kirara agreed. "Excuse me," she said to Inuyasha.

Sango walked on ahead with Kirara following her. Once Sango was satisfied that they were sufficiently far enough away from the fire not to be heard, she stopped, turning to face Kirara.

"Are you sure you want to travel alone with Inuyasha?" she asked Kirara quietly.

"Oh don't worry, we won't fight," Kirara assured her. "It seems we have something in common, and it has helped us get along a little better."

"Really?" Sango asked, quirking an eyebrow at her. "It seems to me like the two of you are getting along a lot better."

Kirara looked momentarily confused, but then broke into a grin.

"Well…" she said vaguely.

"Just be careful, Kirara," Sango warned her.

"Oh Sango," Kirara said, touching a hand to Sango's shoulder. "Trust me, I've been around a very long time, and, unlike Inuyasha, I understand people's feelings. I know what I'm doing, you just have to trust me."

Sango frowned questioningly, but Kirara merely grinned at her and then turned away from her again, heading back over to join the others by the fire.

"Hm…" Sango mumbled, feeling somewhat less than convinced by Kirara's words.

The most romantic thing Sango had expected to happen to Kirara in her new form was for Miroku to try to grope her much the same way he groped Sango, Kagome, and every other female he ever met. But this was something a little different, more sinister, and a lot more unexpected.

Shaking her head in an attempt to shake the brooding ideas from her mind, Sango headed back to the fire, rejoining the others with a smile.

"Oh Sango, while we were hunting, we met Sesshomaru," Kirara said as Sango sat down opposite her.

"Sesshomaru?" Sango repeated in disbelief. "What was he doing in the forest?"

"He was looking for Inuyasha," Kirara replied. "He wanted information on Naraku."

"He wasn't looking for me," Inuyasha said. "He was just doing what he always does."

"And what is that?" Kirara asked curiously.

"He was being a jackass," Inuyasha casually replied.

Kirara laughed, accepting a cooked fish on a stick from Shippo.

"He was very rude to us," Kirara added, before biting into her fish.

"He's always rude," Sango replied.

"Yes, it seems to run in the family," Miroku muttered.

"Hey, I heard that, Miroku!" Inuyasha snapped irritably.

"So what did he say to you?" Sango asked Kirara. "Did he recognise you?"

"I don't know if he recognised me, exactly," Kirara slowly replied. "He said…"

Kirara smiled, before putting on a blank, yet slightly stern expression, befitting of Sesshomaru.

"I am in no humour to give consequence to filthy little cat demons who have been cast out by their own kind," she said, trying her best to make her voice sound like Sesshomaru's, but failing miserably as her giggles bubbled through her words.

"He said that?" Sango echoed. "What a rude and arrogant man!"

"It doesn't bother me!" Kirara assured her. "But I think I can safely say that he is the most rude and arrogant man I have ever met."

"He's a jackass," Inuyasha offered.

"Yes, he is a jackass," Kirara agreed. "I can safely promise you all that, after our next confrontation, Sesshomaru is more than likely to find himself without his other arm."

"Ha, then he would be armless!" Inuyasha said, grinning to himself.

"That was so rude of him," Sango muttered.

"It's okay Sango, honestly. I think it's rather funny, in fact."

Sango smiled weakly, finding herself more offended by Sesshomaru's insult than Kirara apparently was.

"Hey Kirara, Sesshomaru wouldn't be much threat if you did cut off his other arm, because then he would be totally armless!" Inuyasha said again, apparently still pleased with his own joke.

Kirara afforded him a smile, whilst Kagome laughed for an unnatural length of time at the joke.

"That's really funny, Inuyasha!" she said. "Armless! Ha!"

Sango and Miroku turned to each other, exchanging looks of scepticism, whilst Shippo continued chewing his way through a bag of hard candies Kagome had taken back for him, blissfully oblivious to the tension around him.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Kirara and Inuyasha travel to see Totosai, where they gain more than just a sharpening stone and a new sword. **Chapter 4 – Totosai's Wisdom**.


	4. Totosai's Wisdom

**Recap:** After a confrontation with Sesshomaru, Inuyasha and Kirara found a reason to enjoy each other's company, and the two planned a trip to see Totosai to collect the sharpening stone for the Tetsusaiga and a new sword for Kirara.

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Totosai's Wisdom**

"You're not scared, are you?" Inuyasha scoffed, as Kirara nervously eyed over the land before them.

"No!" she replied indignantly.

"Well come on then!" Inuyasha said impatiently, starting towards Totosai's unusual home.

Kirara hesitated a moment longer, gulping as she caught sight of an impossibly large vulture demon lurking in a nearby tree.

"Hey Kirara, I thought you said you were a warrior!" Inuyasha called back to her. "So start acting like one!"

Kirara grunted out a small, feline growl, lifting her chin indignantly. She boldly marched after Inuyasha, drawing level with him as he reached the entrance to Totosai's abode.

"Hey old man!" Inuyasha yelled over to Totosai, who was busy forging a sword.

"Inuyasha!" Totosai called back over to him. "And Kirara!"

"Huh?" Inuyasha grunted, glancing back and forth between Totosai and Kirara. "How did you know she was Kirara?" he asked Totosai.

"Only an idiot wouldn't recognise her," Totosai replied in his usual, gruff tones.

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted, walking deeper into Totosai's workshop, eying the swords on display around him.

"You remember me then, Master Totosai?" Kirara said, bowing slightly to the sword-smith.

"What?" Inuyasha muttered, swivelling around to watch as Kirara approached Totosai.

"Of course I do!" Totosai replied, putting down his hammer and turning to face Kirara fully. "So, Sango was the one to break the spell, huh?"

"What?" Inuyasha said again.

"Yes," Kirara said. "Master Totosai, Inuyasha and I have come to collect–"

"A new sword?" Totosai interrupted her. "I'm still working on it, but I won't be long."

"What?" Inuyasha yelped.

"Oh, thank you Master Totosai."

Kirara gave another small bow to Totosai, who nodded his head at her before returning to the sword he had been working on.

"You mean to tell me you knew she was coming for a sword, old man?" Inuyasha asked Totosai.

"Sure I did," Totosai casually replied as he worked.

"I think someone got here before us," Kirara said darkly, before slapping a hand against the side of her neck.

Inuyasha walked over to her side, holding out his hand to catch Myoga's flattened form as it frittered downwards from Kirara's neck.

"I just came back here to ask Master Totosai if he knew anything about Kirara," Myoga explained once he had inflated back to his normal size and shape.

"That old man doesn't even know whether it's night or day, why would he know anything about Kirara?" Inuyasha sneered.

"Master Totosai made my last sword for me, the one I used to battle alongside Priestess Midoriko," Kirara explained. "But that was a very long time ago."

Kirara grinned, leaning closer to Inuyasha.

"Master Totosai was only an old man back then," she whispered. "Not a senile, withered elderly thing like he is now!"

Inuyasha smirked in response, glancing over his shoulder to confirm that Totosai had not heard their exchange.

"Intuition is what it is," Totosai shouted over to them as he hammered away at the sword. "I can always tell when someone is coming to see me, and I knew today I would see the two of you. Of course, your brother is heading this way too, but he moves a lot slower than you do, Inuyasha."

"Huh?" Inuyasha echoed, spinning around to face Totosai. "My brother is on his way here? Why would he come here? He already knows you won't make a sword for him!"

"Sesshomaru is on his way here?" Kirara asked, glancing between Inuyasha and Totosai.

"Hey Kirara, you're not pronouncing his name properly," Inuyasha told her.

"I'm not?" Kirara responded, tilting her head in confusion. "Is it not pronounced Ses-sho-ma-ru?"

"No," Inuyasha replied, shaking his head. "Didn't I tell you already? It's pronounced jack-ass."

Kirara rolled her eyes, putting on a pained smile for Inuyasha's sake; but to her alarm he appeared not to be joking with her.

"Hey old man, you better not be making a sword for that jackass," Inuyasha shouted over to Totosai.

"Nope," Totosai simply replied.

"Well good!"

"Does Sesshomaru come here often looking for assistance?" Kirara asked, approaching Totosai.

"Nope," Totosai replied. "He's only been here once before."

"Oh," Kirara said, nodding her head.

"I imagine he's coming here for a new katana, or for some lightweight armour for the girl."

Kirara turned her head to Inuyasha, who shook his head and shrugged his shoulders to indicate that he knew as much about what Totosai meant as she did.

"What girl, Master Totosai?" Kirara asked.

"The princess," Totosai replied, holding the sword up above his head to admire his work.

"The princess?" Kirara asked.

"The princess of the Northern Lands," Totosai answered.

Inuyasha snorted, drawing Kirara's attention back to him.

"Are you alright, Inuyasha?" she asked.

He snorted again, before starting to laugh.

"Inuyasha?" Kirara asked, her frown deepening.

Inuyasha did not answer her though, he merely laughed louder and harder, grabbing his arms around his ribs and doubling over under the force of his hysterics.

"I don't understand, Master Totosai," Kirara said, turning back to Totosai.

Kirara started when she found Totosai standing as still as a statue, his arms hanging loosely at his side. One hand still held the sword the other held his hammer. He appeared to be staring at something beyond the entrance to his workshop, his stare so intense, Kirara spun around in expectation of finding someone or something there. Just as she was squinting against the mist to confirm there were no movements outside, Totosai suddenly let out a cry that caused Kirara to leap away from him in fright.

"What is it Master Totosai?" she asked, turning back to him.

"I forgot to dig up my vegetables last week," he replied, his eyes still staring off into the distance. "I hope they haven't ruined…"

Totosai lifted his hand carrying the sword towards his head, scratching the top of his head with two fingers as he continued to hold onto the sword.

"Keh, the old man is nuts," Inuyasha grumbled. "But hey, tell us more about the princess, old man."

Totosai turned his stare to Inuyasha, staring unblinkingly at him until Inuyasha's face scrunched up in frustration – which did not take very long.

"The princess of the Northern Lands, old man!" Inuyasha pressed impatiently. "You said my brother was getting armour for her!"

"I did?" Totosai said slowly. "I said that?"

"Yes, damn it!" Inuyasha snarled.

"Oh. Well that's probably because he needs to get a sword for her."

Inuyasha growled, clenching and unclenching his fists in the air and he tried to suppress his mounting anger.

"But why would Sesshomaru need a sword and armour for a princess?" Kirara asked Totosai, in the hope of dousing the flame of Inuyasha's temper.

"Well, he's only got one arm now, you know," Totosai replied, before banging the sword back down onto his stone table.

Inuyasha made a noise of frustration that sounded like a string of curse words said through a feral, canine growl.

"I remember the princess," Inuyasha began patiently. "My mother told me about her, and I met her a couple of times after my mother died. I know who she is, and I know what she means to Sesshomaru. What I want to know old man, is if my stinking older brother is going to honour his mother's wish and take the stupid princess for his mate?"

"Take the princess for his mate?" Kirara echoed.

"Yes," Inuyasha tightly replied. "The princess is Sesshomaru's cousin, their mothers were sisters. Apparently they arranged for the two to join together and take over the Western Lands after my father retired or died."

"His cousin? So she is a dog demon too?" Kirara mused. "How unusual. With the obvious exceptions of you, Inuyasha, and your half-brother, I have never known another dog demon."

"That's because they all live in the Northern Lands now," Inuyasha explained.

"So if we are heading North-East in our search for Naraku, there is a chance we will meet more dog demons?"

"Yes."

"Ah."

"He wanted to give her a present," Totosai suddenly said.

Inuyasha pulled a face at the distracted sword-smith before turning his back on both Totosai and Kirara, folding his arms indignantly.

"The dog demon princess must be a very powerful demon," Kirara commented.

"Nope," Totosai replied, clamping the sword with a set of tongs and turning around to push the sword into the fire once more.

"No?" Kirara echoed. "How unusual."

"She's weak and sickly," Totosai continued. "Her mother wants Sesshomaru to take her quickly."

"Oh, her illness is a fatal one?"

"Nope. Her family just want rid of her because she's always sneezing and coughing and always in her bed. I suppose they must be sick of tending to her all the time."

"Yeah, I remember her well," Inuyasha interjected, grinning slyly. "She was a miserable little thing. When I was a kid, Sesshomaru would take her for a walk, since her mother told him that fresh air would make the princess feel better. It was hilarious. They never spoke to each other the whole time. They would walk for a few minutes, before she would start coughing and asking to go back to her bed. Ha!"

Kirara smirked in response, a brief image of a sickly dog demon coughing and spluttering all over Sesshomaru's fine clothing flitting through her mind.

"She is weak and sickly and she never talks?" she asked, turning to Inuyasha. "Then I think she shall make him a wonderful mate."

"Yeah, you can just imagine Nurse Jackass watching over her while she vomits everywhere in his precious castle!" Inuyasha replied, grinning maliciously as he pictured the princess vomiting over Jaken as Sesshomaru, dressed in a nursing priestess's kimono mixed up her potions for her.

Inuyasha let out a short, grunting laughter at the thought.

"There we go," Totosai said, holding up the sword. "It's finished. I'll just get you a scabbard."

"What?" Inuyasha snapped. "Hey, how come she gets a scabbard?"

But Totosai ignored Inuaysha's outburst, disappearing into the shadowy depths of his cave-like home to search for a sheath to contain Kirara's new sword.

"Stupid old man," Inuyasha muttered.

"We need to get the sharpening stone, too," Kirara quietly reminded Inuyasha.

"Hey old man, get me the sharpening stone while you're back there!" Inuyasha yelled into the darkness.

"You know Inuyasha, it wouldn't hurt you if you were to be a little more polite to others," Kirara pointed out.

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed, squinting against the darkness as Totosai re-emerged, carrying the scabbard and a stone. "And hey, it worked!" Inuyasha said to Kirara.

Kirara arched her eyebrows at him, but he ignored her gesture, walking over to snatch the stone from Totosai.

"So this is the sharpening stone for my Tetsusaiga?" he mused aloud.

"Nope," Totosai said, handing the sheath to Kirara. "That's my pickling stone. I need to pickle my vegetables."

Inuyasha groaned, a sweat-drop sliding down the back of his head.

"So where is the sharpening stone, old man?" Inuyasha asked through tightly clenched teeth.

"It's right beside you," Totosai replied, pointing at a stone by Inuyasha's feet.

"Why didn't you say that sooner, old man?" Inuyasha snapped.

"You didn't ask," Totosai plainly replied.

Inuyasha growled, dropping the pickling stone and picking up the sharpening stone by his feet.

"Wait a minute…" Totosai said, glancing between the two stones. "Now which one was the pickling stone and which one was the sharpening stone…?"

"You mean you can't tell?" Inuyasha roared.

"That was just a joke."

"Well it wasn't very funny, old man!"

Inuyasha began muttering under his breath, marching back outside.

"Thank you again, Master Totosai," Kirara said to Totosai, bowing politely.

"You better take this too, young lady," Totosai offered, unhooking a body armour plate from the wall. "I think you might need it soon."

"Oh, thank you very much," Kirara said, taking the armour from him.

"And you know, whether Inuyasha likes it or not, his fate is tied to his brother's," Totosai added. "Their father made sure of that by giving them the two swords of the fang."

"Oh," Kirara responded, frowning lightly. "Inuyasha won't like that idea."

"Nope. Now off you go."

"Right. Goodbye, Master Totosai."

Kirara hurried after Inuyasha, who slowed to wait for her, frowning as he caught sight of the bundle of metal in her arms.

"He gave me some new armour," she explained, stopping to hook her sword onto the belt of her clothing.

"Crazy old man," Inuyasha muttered. "Come on, we should get back to the village by nightfall, and in the morning you can get your new clothes, and we can start our search for Naraku again."

Kirara nodded, and both started off again, only to skid to a halt as a figure appeared before them at the edge of the trees.

"Step aside, you're in my way," Sesshomaru greeted them.

"No way, jackass!" Inuyasha retorted. "You move!"

Sesshomaru shifted his eyes to Kirara, staring so intensely at her that she dropped her eyes to the ground to avoid his stare. Inuyasha took a step forwards, and Sesshomaru immediately did the same. Sesshomaru watched Inuyasha for a moment, before again shifting his eyes to Kirara, who had dared to look up at him again.

"The ill company you keep never ceases to amaze me, little brother," Sesshomaru said, slowly moving his eyes back to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to argue back, but stopped as Kirara began to answer his brother herself.

"Are you referring to me, Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked, taking two steps forwards, standing next to, and slightly ahead of, Inuyasha.

"It was insulting enough to our family name when you started mixing with humans, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru continued, as though he had not even heard Kirara, his eyes fixed onto Inuyasha. "But travelling with a filthy, lowly cat demon truly is the worst thing you have ever done."

"Hey back off, you stupid jackass!" Inuyasha snapped.

Inuyasha took another step forwards, drawing out his Tetsusaiga, to which Sesshomaru responded by also taking a step forwards and drawing out his Tenseiga.

"You know that sword is useless against me as long as I have the Tenseiga, you fool," Sesshomaru reminded Inuyasha.

"Damn…" Inuyasha muttered, reluctantly returning his sword to its sheath.

Sesshomaru copied his action, re-sheathing the Tenseiga, his eyes moving to Kirara as he did so.

"I've had just about enough of your rude and pompous attitude, Lord Sesshomaru!" she spat at him.

"For a woman, you talk far too much," Sesshomaru calmly replied. "You are the one who needs to learn to control and reign in your attitude. You sicken me, cat demon. Your will is to help and preach to everyone you meet."

"Whilst yours is merely to hate and unfairly judge everyone you meet!" Kirara snapped back.

"Step aside, cat," Sesshomaru said smoothly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke.

"I will not, dog!" Kirara argued back, clenching a fist in front of her chest. "I am a warrior, and I do not step aside for anyone, least of all a filthy dog like you! Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?" Inuyasha responded, turning to Kirara.

"Take this," Kirara said, smacking her armour against his chest.

Inuyasha let out an "oof" sound, catching the armour with his free arm, staggering back a step as he tried to balance the armour in one arm and the sharpening stone in the other.

"You portray the image of a demon lord of honour," Kirara said boldly, marching right up to Sesshomaru. "If that is indeed the case, you will not refuse my challenge. Put down your weapons and fight me in your true form, dog!"

"Um, Kirara?" Inuyasha said nervously.

"Shut-up, Inuyasha!" Kirara snapped over her shoulder.

"So be it," Sesshomaru monotonously replied. "Show me your true form, cat."

Kirara nodded her head, before transforming into her fire-cat form, the form Inuyasha was far more accustomed to seeing. Inuyasha did briefly wonder if it was worth telling Kirara that Sesshomaru's dog form was a little different to Kirara's cat form in terms of size, but since his brother's eyes had already turned red and his transformation had already begun, Inuyasha decided that she would find that out soon enough anyway.

Kirara stood, hackles raised, growling confidently as Sesshomaru shot into the air. Inuyasha did a quick survey of the area, calculating the amount of open space around him against the size of his transformed brother, and came to the conclusion that he had to move – and quickly. He leapt backwards and to the side, barely making it out the way before three giant silver paws landed on the ground, causing it to shake so much Inuyasha dropped Kirara's armour and almost fell over himself.

As he gathered up Kirara's armour again, Inuyasha watched the scene before him, his eyes widening at what he saw. Sesshomaru had landed squarely over Kirara, trapped her with his giant legs. From where Inuyasha stood, Kirara looked like nothing more than a flea in comparison to his brother. She was looking up at the underside of his neck, her ears flat against her head, her red eyes wide with fear.

Sesshomaru's lips peeled back over his gargantuan fangs, a growl rumbling in his throat as he lowered his head. Kirara leaned back, raising one paw in the air as a stream of thick green venom dripped from Sesshomaru's jaws, bubbling and hissing on the ground next to his single front paw. Kirara let out a small, high-pitched, pitiful "mew", that even her previous, small cat form would have been ashamed of, before turning around and racing out between Sesshomaru's hind legs.

Once she was free, Kirara leapt into the air, flying up over the trees. Inuyasha groaned, closing his eyes as he thought of one other important fact that he probably should have shared with Kirara: despite his exceptionally large size in his dog demon form, Sesshomaru could fly too.

As Inuyasha opened his eyes again, Sesshomaru was in the air, his back turned to Inuyasha, hovering over the trees, the venom still dripping from his jaws, bubbling and burning through the vegetation below. Kirara was hovering a short distance above Sesshomaru's nose, facing him and Inuyasha, and apparently frozen by her fear. Sesshomaru snarled, clenching his jaws tightly together, his lips lifting further to show every single tooth in his jaws. Kirara hissed pitifully in response, to which Sesshomaru then let out two short, sharp barks, spraying venom all around Kirara, his breath blasting her hair back and causing her to close her eyes.

Even from where he stood, Inuyasha could see the relieved expression on Kirara's face when she opened her eyes again and realised that she had miraculously avoided harm from the venom. Then, to Inuyasha's absolute horror, Sesshomaru growled again, and Kirara took a swipe at his face with her front paw. Sesshomaru howled in pain, losing altitude as his head turned to one side. Kirara was again frozen, only this time apparently in shock at her own actions. Realising Kirara had not only inflicted damage to Sesshomaru, but that she had probably also caused his rage to multiply tenfold, Inuyasha ran forwards.

"Kirara!" he shouted to her. "Let's go, come on!"

Kirara looked down at Inuyasha, then back at Sesshomaru, who was once more snarling at her. Her eyes doubled in size as she saw the bloody claw-marks below his left eye and the rabid, livid, feral look in his crimson eyes. With another pitiful, miniscule "mew", Kirara dropped through the air, flying under and past Sesshomaru.

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha yelled at her. "Home is that way!"

Inuyasha was pointing back in the direction of his brother, but Kirara ignored him, flying straight at him. At the last moment, Inuyasha realised just what Kirara's intentions were, and he leapt up, jumping onto her back just at the moment she began to ascend rapidly again.

"He's coming this way, Kirara!" Inuyasha warned her. "I hope to hell you can fly as fast as you can run!"

Kirara arced around in the air, starting as she found herself flying straight towards Sesshomaru's open jaws. Using the one advantage she could see that she had, Kirara dove to her right, flying over Sesshomaru's left shoulder. Without his front left paw, he had no way to attack her, and was left to bark helplessly as her as she soared past.

"He's turning round, and he's following us, Kirara!" Inuyasha warned as they flew over the trees.

Kirara looked down at the treetops, panicking as she saw her own shadow, a small black line with a dot on top where Inuyasha sat, being pursued by a monstrously huge black blob that was rapidly gaining on her. Kirara moaned another pathetic "mew", this time drawing it out as an expression of her despair, closing her eyes as the sound escaped from her throat. When she opened her eyes again, she almost fell out of the sky at what she saw.

Suddenly, the black blob was a long way behind her.

Kirara stopped so abruptly, Inuyasha had to grab onto her neck to stop himself from flying right over her head.

"What the hell are you doing, Kirara?" he snapped.

But Kirara ignored Inuyasha's complaints, turning around to look back in the direction they had come.

"Hey!" Inuyasha grunted.

In the distance, the giant, three-legged silver dog was still hovering motionlessly in the air, the sun setting behind him, his fangs bared, his large red eyes glowing and venom oozing from his jaws.

"Hey, the jackass stopped!" Inuyasha laughed. "He got scared! Nice job, Kirara!"

Kirara grunted, watching Sesshomaru for a moment longer before turning her back on him and flying back towards Kaede's village.

* * *

"Did you get your sharpening stone, Inuyasha?" Kagome eagerly greeted Inuyasha as he leapt off Kirara's back, landing by Kaede's hut.

"Yeah," he replied, holding up the stone.

Behind him, Kirara landed and transformed back into her human form, her face pale and her eyes wide.

"Kirara, are you okay?" Sango asked, moving over to her side.

"Kirara challenged Sesshomaru to a fight, cat versus dog," Inuyasha bluntly announced. "Of course, she totally forgot Sesshomaru was a lot bigger than she is, and that he can fly too."

"Forgot?" Kirara asked, her voice shaky. "How could I forget something that I didn't even know in the first place?"

"Keh," Inuyasha replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Did he hurt you?" Sango asked, eying Kirara over in concern.

"No," Kirara assured her. "But I did hurt him…"

Kirara lifted up her right hand, wincing at the sight of the dried blood on her claws.

"Wow…" Sango muttered, frowning down at Kirara's claws.

"Such a hateful, loathsome, irksome, filthy mutt!" Kirara recovered, balling her bloodied hand into a fist and smacking it into her other palm.

"He's a jackass," Inuyasha reminded her.

"Next time, he won't be so lucky!" Kirara said confidently.

"Well, it's late," Sango said with a smile. "We should get inside. And tomorrow, we can continue our journey."

"Sounds good to me," Inuyasha agreed.

The others all made their way into Kaede's hut, but Kirara remained behind, her eyes wandering upwards to the star-filled sky overhead.

'He could easily have killed me,' she thought to herself. 'And some warrior I am, I ran away from him. That's why he spared me. There was no honour in fighting a coward like me.'

"Damn!" Kirara cursed under her breath.

"Kirara!" Sango called to her from the doorway of Kaede's hut. "Come on, it's getting cold out there!"

Kirara sighed, taking one last look at the stars. As she watched, a brilliant white meteor shot across the sky, bringing a small smile to her lips.

"Coming!" she called, turning around and jogging over to the hut.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** A scratch to the face was just the beginning of Sesshomaru's bad luck, as Rin, Jaken, Kagura and even Ah-Un all cause more problems for the demon lord. **Chapter 5 – Sesshomaru's Threat**.


	5. Sesshomaru's Threat

**Recap:** Kirara and Inuyasha went to see Totosai, who gave them the items they sought along with a short history lesson. On their way back, Kirara and Inuyasha ran into Sesshomaru, whose bad manners led to Kirara challenging him to a fight, which, after seeing Sesshomaru's true form, she quickly backed out of; but not before she scratched Sesshomaru in the face.

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Sesshomaru's Threat**

"Look, Lord Sesshomaru, a shooting star!" Rin squealed, pointing up into the sky.

Rin closed her eyes, pressing a hand to her chest as she silently made a wish. Once she had finished, she turned to Sesshomaru, who was sitting in the shadow of a tree his head turned to one side and hanging downwards. Rin tilted her head to one side questioningly, wondering if she should ask him what was wrong.

Just as Rin was debating what to do next, Jaken appeared over the brim of the hill, leading Ah-Un with him.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Master Jaken has returned with Ah and Un!" Rin called to Sesshomaru; but he did not so much as blink in response.

With a small frown, Rin skipped over to greet Jaken, her frown deepening when she found Jaken mumbling to himself as he walked.

"Hello, Master Jaken," she said to him.

Jaken grumbled something indecipherable in reply, to which Rin merely grinned.

"Master Jaken?" she continued, moving to walk alongside him as he trudged slowly across the ledge. "Lord Sesshomaru has been very quiet."

"Lord Sesshomaru is always quiet, you fool," Jaken quietly replied.

"But I'm worried, Master Jaken!" Rin insisted. "Lord Sesshomaru hasn't moved from under that tree, and he hasn't spoken and he hasn't eaten and–"

"Yes, yes, enough!" Jaken growled. "Maybe he isn't talking to you because you are such an irritating little girl. Let me his humble vassal handle this. Here."

Rin dumbly accepted Ah-Un's reins as Jaken thrust them into her hands, watching as he marched off towards the tree Sesshomaru was lurking beneath.

"Milord, your humble servant has returned," Jaken began. "And I bring–yaaaaaaaaa!"

Rin and the two heads of her dragon demon companion watched silently as Sesshomaru's foot appeared out of the shadows, kicking Jaken into the air. Their eyes moved up in an arc as Jaken flew away from the point of contact, screaming all the way until he finally landed over the other side of the ledge with a thud.

Rin turned to Ah-Un, but both of the dragon's heads looked about as confused as she felt, and so she turned back to the shadowy hollow Sesshomaru had successfully concealed himself in. Deciding that she would succeed where Jaken had failed, Rin released Ah-Un's reins and started to march boldly towards the tree. However, before she had even crossed half the distance, a strong gust of wind whirled around her legs, knocking her over so that she landed flat on her face.

As Rin lifted her face from the dirt, she saw Kagura land gracefully in front of her, facing Sesshomaru.

"Yo," Kagura said, opening out her hand.

Jaken fell from her grasp, landing in an ungraceful heap. He struggled to his feet, hurriedly rearranging his clothing.

"I didn't ask for your help, wench!" Jaken shouted up at Kagura, waving a fist at her.

"Hey Sesshomaru, you servant is revolting again…" Kagura drawled sarcastically, glowering down at Jaken.

"Lord Sesshomaru does not wish to see you right now, wench!" Jaken yelled back at her.

"I'll be the judge of that," Kagura replied, smirking confidently.

Jaken glowered up at Kagura, seething silently in his own anger. Rin cautiously crept closer to Kagura, looking up at her curiously. Kagura glanced between the two, her attention distracted from them both when she heard movement ahead of her. Looking up, she saw Sesshomaru stand up in the shadows and start to walk towards her.

Smirking again, Kagura readied herself to greet the demon lord with a witty remark; but as he stepped into the light, all thoughts of sarcasm left her mind, and her confident smirk faded to a look of horrified disbelief.

"What the hell happened to you?" she asked, almost choking on her words.

"It's nothing, a mere flesh wound," Sesshomaru calmly replied.

Jaken turned around, screaming as he caught sight of the four gashes across one side of Sesshomaru's face, which ran from the corner of his left eye to the left corner of his mouth. Rin edged closer, leaning over to afford herself a view of the left side of Sesshomaru's face, gasping at what she saw.

"It will be healed by morning," Sesshomaru added, his tone unchanged.

"You know Sesshomaru, that looks like a pretty nasty wound to me…" Kagura said slyly. "But I think I have just the cure for it."

Kagura stepped up to Sesshomaru, reaching a hand up towards the injured side of his face, but Sesshomaru quickly caught her hand in his own before she reached the wounds. Kagura met his eyes, smiling coyly at him. Sesshomaru remained expressionless, his tight grip of her hand unrelenting.

"Unless you have come here to tell me the whereabouts of Naraku, you had best be on your way, Wind Sorceress," Sesshomaru said, his voice still lacking in emotion, but somehow managing to successfully convey his threat.

"I don't know where Naraku is, and I don't care, either," Kagura replied. "Because without him around, I'm free to do whatever I want."

Kagura slowly dragged her tongue along her teeth, her smirk widening when she at last saw a flicker of emotion in Sesshomaru's eyes. However, before she could act upon it, Sesshomaru roughly released her hand and turned his back on her, walking back towards the tree he had been sat under.

"I've just come from the village Inuyasha and his friends are camping in," Kagura said, smiling again as Sesshomaru stopped abruptly, just outside the shadow of the tree. "I had heard so many rumours, I simply had to go and see it for myself," she continued. "Inuyasha, brother of the mighty dog demon Lord Sesshomaru, keeping company with a cat demon…"

Kagura had to fight back a grin as she heard a short, small growl rumble in Sesshomaru's throat.

"The demon fire-cat Kirara," Kagura continued with a sigh. "And I believe you have had the pleasure of meeting her already, Sesshomaru."

"Leave," Sesshomaru grumbled, before disappearing back into the shadow of the tree.

"And it seems that those who know of Kirara the fire-cat have had many things to say about her," Kagura continued, swinging her fan at Jaken, sending him tumbling away from her ankles. "I hear she has befriended humans for many centuries. She has even helped humans to slay demons. Why, she even comes from the demon-slayer's village."

Kagura narrowed her eyes, watching as Sesshomaru's shadowed form sat back down beneath the tree. Although he was pretending to be preoccupied, she knew that he was still listening to her.

"Aren't those cat claw-marks on your face, Sesshomaru?" she asked.

Choking on a gasp, Kagura leapt into the air, barely managing to avoid Sesshomaru as he pounced at her, his claws closing around the empty space her neck had taken up only moments ago.

"Really Sesshomaru!" she said, trying to sound perturbed. "Is that any way to treat a lady?"

"You are no lady," Sesshomaru darkly replied. "And you are in my way. Leave. Now."

"We really aren't much fun tonight, are we Sesshomaru?" Kagura said teasingly.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes slightly, grabbing his hand roughly around the hilt of his Tokijin.

"Alright," Kagura said abruptly. "Just one more question."

Kagura waited for Sesshomaru to say something, but all she got as a reply was the sound of Sesshomaru's knuckles cracking as he tightened his hold around the hilt of his deadly sword.

"In my travels, I have heard this fire-cat demon Kirara described as something of a beauty," Kagura began, opening her fan and lifting it up to cover the mounting smirk on her face. "As one who has had the pleasure of meeting her, what do you have say to that, Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru paused before replying, during which time Jaken rejoined them, dropping to his knees as he tried to regulate his breathing.

"The fire-cat, a beauty?" Sesshomaru asked monotonously, his hand still gripped around his sword. "I should as soon call my brother a wit."

"That was all I needed to know, thank you Sesshomaru," Kagura replied, whipping out a feather and soaring up on the winds.

"Curse that witch!" Jaken growled breathlessly. "What did she want?"

Sesshomaru did not answer Jaken, instead watching Kagura leave, his hand still holding the Tokijin.

"Milord, I returned with news for you," Jaken continued, when Sesshomaru did not answer his question. "The old sword-smith Totosai said he will make a sword or some armour for the princess, but he still refuses to make anything for you."

"Jaken?" Sesshomaru said his eyes still fixed on the sky, his hand still resting on the hilt of his sword.

"Yes, Milord?" Jaken chirped.

"Return to Totosai, and get me what I asked for," Sesshomaru calmly commanded. "And do not even think of returning to me until you have it, understand?"

"But–"

Sesshomaru smoothly unsheathed the Tokijin, turning it towards Jaken. Jaken screamed, falling over backwards in his hurry to put as much distance as possible between himself and the lethal, pointed tip of the blade.

"Aye, Milord," he said weakly, struggling to his feet once more.

As Jaken scurried off to fulfil his orders, Sesshomaru returned his Tokijin to its sheath, turning his head towards the remaining members of his group.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Ah and Un are hurt!" Rin called to him.

Sesshomaru slowly turned, walking over to investigate Rin's statement. Closer inspection of his dragon demon steed informed him that it was indeed hurt. Whilst the wounds were not serious, they would hamper the beast's progress for the best part of the next few days, much to Sesshomaru's annoyance.

"We must clean the wounds," Sesshomaru announced, turning his back on Rin and Ah-Un.

"Yes, my Lord," Rin replied, gathering up Ah-Un's reins behind him. "Come on."

Sesshomaru led Rin back over the curve of the hill to the river than ran below, stopping by the water's edge. Rin eagerly walked into the water, pulling Ah-Un with her. As she set about washing Ah-Un's entire body, Sesshomaru began looking up at the sky again, becoming so lost in his own thoughts, he did not immediately register that Rin had started talking to him again.

"–can make it sorer," he heard Rin say. "So would you like me to wash your wounds too, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru inhaled sharply through his nostrils, turning his head to look down at Rin, who was grinning eagerly up at him.

"Would you like me to clean your wounds, Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked again, cupping her hands below the surface of the water and lifting them up, filled with water.

"I have no wounds," Sesshomaru flatly replied, turning his uninjured cheek to Rin, hiding his wounds from her view.

"Oh…" Rin said softly, her fingers opening slightly.

Sesshomaru tightened his jaws as he heard the water trickle from between her fingers, his nerves suddenly unusually raw. As Rin began to sing a song about Lord Sesshomaru's magically disappearing wounds, Sesshomaru had to fight back a growl. Rin began to dance as she sang, carelessly splashing water all over Ah-Un, who eventually took offence, one of its heads gulping up a mouthful of water and turning to spit it at her.

"Oops…" Rin whispered, her eyes doubling in size as Ah-Un misfired, and hit Sesshomaru square in the face.

Sesshomaru swiped his hand at his face, moving the wet hair from his eyes.

"Father was right," he said dully, ignoring the questioning noise Rin made in response to his remark.

Sesshomaru spun around on his heels and walked slowly back over to his tree.

"Cats bring nothing but bad luck…" he finished, before dropping down by the tree. "I will have to take care of that pesky fire-cat…"

Sesshomaru looked down thoughtfully at his hand as he cracked his knuckles, his mind formulating his next course of action.

* * *

"I love my new kimono!" Sango cried, hugging the fabric and spinning around in delight.

"What do you think of my new clothes?" Kirara asked the others, indicating her new outfit.

Inuyasha made a grunting sound, before spraying her with a barrage of potato chip crumbs as he gave her his blunt reply.

"You look just like Sesshomaru, you stupid jackass."

Kirara's eyes widened, and she hurriedly looked down at herself, then over each of her shoulders.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo moaned. "Don't be so rude!"

"No…" Kirara said slowly. "He's not being rude, he's being honest! Look at me! I'm dressed just like that filthy dog!"

"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed.

"Don't listen to him Kirara, you look just fine!" Sango assured her.

"No I don't!" Kirara wailed. "Look at this material! The colour, the cut of the silk, the… Damn it!"

Miroku began to giggle like a schoolgirl as Kirara began to tear off her clothes, shredding the fine fabric with her claws in her frustration.

"Kirara!" Sango scolded her.

Kirara paused, watching Sango for a brief moment before resuming her mission to destroy her clothing.

"Kirara stop that, right now!" Sango ordered.

Kirara obediently stopped, but she began to make small whimpering sounds, hanging her head in shame.

"Wear your old clothes," Sango said.

"What?" Inuyasha yelled. "You mean we wasted two days and all that time hunting for nothing?"

"Not nothing," Kirara said meekly. "Sango got a lovely new kimono."

"Ah, spare me!" Inuyasha snapped. "I'm leaving, you can all just catch me up later!"

Inuyasha marched off, leaving the others dazed in his wake. Miroku was the first to recover.

"Kagome, Shippo, Sango, you go ahead on Kagome's bike," he said. "Try to calm Inuyasha down."

"What are you going to do, Miroku?" Sango asked him.

"I'm going to stay here and help Kirara out of those clothes," Miroku replied.

Sango snarled at him, her eyes suddenly burning with repressed rage.

"I meant help her get her old clothes back," Miroku hurriedly added. "And then change for the… And the…"

"Why don't you go with Kagome and Shippo and calm Inuyasha down, and I'll help Kirara?" Sango suggested darkly.

"But I–"

"You're a monk, aren't you? Why don't you "read him a sutra, to calm his nerves"?"

Miroku laughed nervously, backing away from the fuming Sango.

"We'll catch you up," Sango pressed.

"Right," Miroku agreed.

Sango watched Kagome and Shippo leave on Kagome's bike, followed by Miroku, who continually stole glances over his shoulder as he went.

Once they were out of sight, Sango turned back to Kirara, who was standing in little more than her new body armour – which, Sango had to admit, also looked rather like Sesshomaru's – and a chunk of torn white silk that hung around her thighs. Her hands were hanging loosely at her sides, shreds of white silk dangling from her claws. Her head was hung low, and her cheeks were red; from anger or embarrassment, Sango could not tell.

"Let's get your old clothes back, Kirara," Sango said softly.

Kirara quietly nodded her head.

"And don't worry about Sesshomaru," she added.

"I'm not worried about Sesshomaru," Kirara hurriedly replied, her head snapping up as her eyes met Sango's. "I'm only worried about which method I should use to kill him the next time I meet him."

Sango began to narrow her eyes as she saw a flicker of an unusual emotion pass over Kirara's features. She opened her mouth to question her friend, but Kirara spun around, turning her back to Sango before she got the chance to speak.

"My mother warned me about dogs," Kirara said, folding her arms across her chest indignantly. "She said that dogs bring nothing but pestilence and filth, and she was right."

"Right…" Sango said slowly. "We really should get going if we want to catch up with Inuyasha and the others."

"Inuyasha can't out-run me, he's just a dog!" Kirara tetchily replied.

"I didn't say he could out-run you, just that he has gotten a head-start on us–"

"And I can still beat him, like the dog that he is!"

Sango pulled a face at the back of Kirara's head, but Kirara was too busy festering in her own anger to notice or even to care. Although Sango was not really sure of exactly what had transpired between Kirara and Sesshomaru – after all, Sango had never seen Sesshomaru in his true, dog-form – she took solace in the fact that the group never crossed paths with Sesshomaru too often, so hopefully they would not see him again for some time, giving Kirara sufficient time to calm down and come to her senses before confronting him again.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** The gang continue their search for the missing Naraku and the remaining shards of the Shikon Jewel, but their progress is hampered by the arrival of a certain wolf demon. **Chapter 6 – Koga's Intervention**.


	6. Koga's Intervention

**Recap:** Sesshomaru was having a run of bad luck, and declared Kirara was the cause of it all. Meanwhile, Kirara and the others set off in search of Naraku and the Sacred Jewel.

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – Koga's Interventio** n

"Um, Sango?" Inuyasha whispered, moving closer to Sango to walk directly alongside her.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" she asked.

"What's eating Kirara?" he asked, nodding his head towards Kirara.

Sango turned her head to her friend, who was in front of the group, walking deftly on her feet and hands, sniffing the ground as she went.

"I smell dog!" Kirara said suddenly, straightening up abruptly to stand on just her two feet.

Sango stumbled to a halt, almost walking right into Kirara's back.

"What?" Sango asked her.

"Coming this way…" Kirara said quietly, bending her knees to lower herself into a defensive stance. "And moving very, very fast…"

"Hey," Inuyasha began. "I smell–"

But before Inuyasha could finish his sentence, he was knocked of his feet by a whirlwind, which dissolved to reveal Koga.

"Hey, dog-breath," Koga said, smirking down at Inuyasha's crumpled form by his feet. "Kagome…"

Koga made his way over to Kagome, taking her hands in his.

"I hope that mutt has been taking good care of you, Kagome," he said.

"Ugh," Kirara grunted, rolling her eyes.

Koga turned his head towards her at the gesture, narrowing his eyes as he caught sight of her.

"Hey, what smells like cat around here?" he asked.

Kirara quirked an eyebrow at him, to which he smiled.

"Oh, it's you," he added. "Hey, ya mangy mutt, what are you doing travelling with a cat demon?"

"I have always travelled with Inuyasha," Kirara answered Koga. "It's just that I can now take a human form."

Koga nodded disinterestedly before turning back to Kagome.

"So anyway, Kagome," he began. "I was–"

"Look Koga, we're in a hurry, we don't have time for this!" Kirara interrupted him. "Now either hand over those shards of the Shikon Jewel you have, or get out of our way!"

Koga dropped Kagome's hands, approaching Kirara, who straightened her back and raised her chin as he neared.

"And what if I refuse to hand over my shards, and I refuse to move?" Koga growled at her.

"First of all, they are not "your" shards," Kirara replied indignantly. "And secondly, if you do refuse to comply, you must prepare yourself for a fight."

"What are you doing, Kirara?" Kagome hissed.

"Kill him, Kirara!" Inuyasha said as he stood up. "And get those shards off of him!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelped.

"I'm not gonna fight you!" Koga sneered, eying Kirara over. "I wouldn't feel right fighting a stupid girl like you!"

Kirara narrowed her eyes, swiping her hand at Koga's face. Koga staggered back as Kirara slapped him hard across the face, touching a hand to his cheek.

"How do you feel about it now, dog?" Kirara growled as he met her eyes.

"I'm not a dog, I'm a wolf!" Koga snapped. "And I hate cats!"

Koga swung a fist at Kirara, but she deftly leapt out of the way, spinning around to land a heel kick to the back of Koga's knees. Koga buckled under her attack, and Kirara pounced at him, grabbing him into a sleeper-hold.

"I sense something is amiss with Kirara," Miroku commented as the struggle continued between the wolf demon and the fire-cat demon.

"I think she's still upset over Sesshomaru," Sango said quietly.

"She's crazy!" Kagome said loudly.

"She's scary!" Shippo whimpered, leaping up onto Kagome's shoulder and hiding behind a curtain of her hair.

"Get him, Kirara!" Inuyasha cheered.

The others turned to Inuyasha, all sweat-dropping as they found him sat perched on a rock, eagerly munching his way through a box of popcorn as he watched the battle before them.

"Inuyasha, stop them!" Kagome yelled at him.

"No way, Kirara's winning!" Inuyasha yelled back.

"Um… Sango?" Miroku began nervously.

"Kirara!" Sango yelped, as she saw that Kirara had fully transformed into her fire-cat form, and had her fangs sunk into Koga's right leg.

"Get off of me, ya stinking cat!" Koga yelled, tugging at his leg as he tried to free himself.

"What is wrong with her?" Kagome demanded, rounding on Sango.

"I don't know…" Sango quietly replied. "I think something must have–"

Sango stopped talking abruptly as Koga leapt up, kicking his left leg into the back of Kirara's head. She instinctively opened her jaws, releasing his right leg. Stunned from the blow, Kirara was unable to stop Koga from leaping to his feet and clenching his hands together, slamming his fists into the middle of her spine. Howling from the blow, Kirara returned to her human form, kicking Koga in the jaw as he bent over her.

"Damn you, dog!" she growled, struggling to her feet as he staggered away from her.

"I'm not a dog!" he growled back at her.

Kirara hissed at him, the vicious look on her face causing even Sango to flinch. Upon seeing Kirara's unadulterated rage, Inuyasha finished the box of popcorn and got to his feet, making his way over to the battling duo.

"Hey, knock it off, you two!" he said, holding up one hand up in front of Kirara and one in front of Koga.

"What are you doing, Inutrasha?" Koga sneered.

"Yes Inuyasha, what are you doing?" Kirara added. "I know how much you hate that dog too! Let me kill him, and we can take back the shards of the Shikon Jewel!"

"He's not a dog, he's a wolf," Inuyasha pointed out.

"Wolf, dog, fox, they're all the same to me!" Kirara snarled.

Shippo squealed in fear, ducking down behind Kagome's head.

"Sango?" Inuyasha said, turning to Sango.

"Oh, right," Sango said, nodding her head.

Sango lunged forwards, grabbing Kirara by the elbow. Despite a cry of protest from her demon friend, Sango pulled Kirara back, pulling her out of earshot of the others.

"What's gotten into you, Kirara?" Sango whispered to her.

"I hate that dog!" Kirara whispered in reply. "I hate all dogs!"

"Do you hate Inuyasha?" Sango asked cautiously.

"Of course not!"

"But Inuyasha is a dog."

"Yes, but…"

Sango eyed Kirara over carefully, before looking over Kirara's shoulder at the others.

"We won't be long," she called to Inuyasha.

"Where are we going?" Kirara asked Sango.

"Somewhere where we can talk," Sango quietly replied.

"But I–hey!"

Sango grabbed Kirara's elbow again and dragged her from the path to a large rock a suitable distance from the others, sitting down and forcing Kirara to do the same by her side.

"What happened to you yesterday, Kirara?" Sango asked her.

"Nothing," Kirara stubbornly replied, crossing her arms and adopting a scowl.

"You had blood on your claws and you said you hurt Sesshomaru," Sango pressed.

"Like I said, it was nothing," Kirara stubbornly replied.

"I assume then that cat demons and dog demons hate each other," Sango concluded.

"The truth about cats and dogs is that we are ancient enemies," Kirara replied.

"Oh, I see," Sango said, relieved that Kirara was talking calmly and sensibly at last.

"And it's all because the dirty dogs are too stupid to realise that we cats are the superior demons!" Kirara added childishly.

Sango sighed in despair.

"Kirara, Sesshomaru is a very strong demon," she began. "And it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"What are you talking about?" Kirara snapped, turning her head to glare at Sango indignantly. "Why would I be ashamed? I was the one who hurt him, not the other way around!"

"But you were scared of him, right?" Sango asked softly.

"I fear no-one!" Kirara boldly replied, standing abruptly and thumping a fist against her armour-covered chest. "I am a warrior!"

"Yes, you told me that already," Sango politely reminded her. "But we all get frightened sometimes, it's nothing to be ashamed of, even if you are a warrior. I'm a demon-slayer, and I still get a little afraid when I'm fighting a very powerful foe."

Kirara sat down hard next to Sango, hanging her head, a defeated look on her face.

"You were afraid, weren't you?" Sango asked, placing a hand on Kirara's shoulder. "I thought you might have been. It's okay Kirara, I won't tell the others."

"I wasn't afraid," Kirara softly replied. "I was absolutely terrified. I couldn't even move. His fangs were longer than my entire body. I've never felt that afraid of an enemy before, and I fought a lot of large and intimidating demons alongside Priestess Midoriko."

Sango nodded her understanding.

"Maybe it was just because he was a dog, or maybe it was just because he was so big, but I couldn't control my fear," Kirara continued. "And I hate him so much!"

Kirara punched a fist into her palm, groaning in frustration.

"What did he say to you to upset you so?" Sango asked gently.

"He called me filthy and lowly, and he insulted Inuyasha for travelling with me," Kirara answered. "And he said I was of no consequence, and not worthy of his attention."

"I see," Sango replied, nodding her head again. "You know, Kagome told me that Sesshomaru was very rude to her too when he first met her, so you are not alone."

"I feel like a failure, Sango," Kirara sighed. "I ran away from a fight. I have never fled from battle before, but to do it now, when I have all my powers back, and to flee from a dog demon…"

Kirara groaned in despair, burying her face in her hands.

"Oh Kirara," Sango said softly, curling an arm around Kirara's shoulders. "And I don't really know if this will make you fell any better, but Inuyasha has told us all that he wants to kill Sesshomaru himself, so it's probably just as well that you didn't fight him last night."

Kirara merely sighed in response.

Meanwhile, Koga had sat down on the ground, with Kagome at his side, tending to his injured leg, and Inuyasha standing behind him, pulling faces at his back.

"So that demon is the same fire-cat you travelled with before?" Koga asked Kagome.

"Yes," Kagome replied. "She was under a spell, and now the spell has been broken."

"Wow," Ginta muttered.

"Weird," Hakkaku added.

"Hey, when did you two get here?" Inuyasha yelled, waving a fist at Koga's two allies.

"Kagome, I don't think you're safe with that crazy cat around," Koga continued. "I think it's time you started travelling with me."

"Dream on, flea-bag!" Inuyasha snarled at the back of Koga's head.

"I can't travel with you, Koga," Kagome said as she finished cleaning his wounds. "But you and Ginta and Hakkaku could travel with us, if you like."

"Hey!" Inuyasha yelled at Kagome.

"Yeah, I guess we could," Koga agreed. "That way I can keep an eye on dog-boy and cat-girl."

"You…" Inuyasha growled, waving a fist at Koga's head.

"Koga, have you seen or heard anything that might help us track Naraku?" Miroku asked, hoping to change the mood of the group.

"Nah, I was hoping that Kagome might have sensed the jewel, or that your pet dog might have managed to sniff him out," Koga replied.

"Pet dog?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Koga, would you like some potato chips?" Kagome asked sweetly.

"What's a potato chip?" Ginta asked her.

"Here, you can all have a bag each," Kagome replied, handing a bag to Koga, one to Ginta and one to Hakkaku.

"That's mine!" Inuyasha complained, snatching Hakkaku's bag from him.

"Hey!" Hakkaku said, frowning at Inuyasha.

"And that's mine!" Inuyasha continued, snatching Ginta's bag. "And that's mine too!"

Inuyasha made to grab Koga's bag, but Koga quickly snatched it out of his reach.

"Hand it over, ya wimpy wolf!" Inuyasha demanded, reaching with his other hand.

"No way, mutt!" Koga replied, passing the bag from hand to hand as Inuyasha tried in vain to grab onto it.

"Would you two grow up?" Shippo said, standing up confidently with his hands on his hips.

"Shut-up, Shippo!" Inuyasha snapped, punching Shippo in the head.

"Inuyasha, sit!" Kagome yelled.

Koga and Inuyasha both cried out in shock as Inuyasha was sent hurtling to the ground, colliding with Koga on his way.

"I've had it with you, dog-boy!" Koga moaned, shoving Inuyasha off of him and standing up.

Ginta and Hakkaku obediently stood at Koga's side, their four wolves watching them keenly from a distance.

"I'm not hanging around here with such a pathetic dog and such a crazy cat!" Koga said decisively. "I'm sorry Kagome, but I'm going to look for Naraku on my own. As soon as I've finished with him though, I promise I'll come back and make you my woman, Kagome."

"You mean just like how you promised you would make me your woman, Koga?" a voice squealed.

"Ah damn…" Koga grumbled.

"Ha!" Inuyasha said brightly, pushing himself up from the ground. "Perfect timing!"

"Koga, why do you keep running away from me all the time?" Ayame asked as she joined the group.

"Ayame, I thought you were going back to your grandfather in the mountains," Koga replied, hoping to steer his way around the subject of his broken promise to the young wolf demon.

"I was," Ayame agreed.

Koga waited for her to continue, screwing up his face in frustration when she did not.

"So what happened?" he asked. "Why did you come back?"

"Well, I've been thinking," she explained. "And I've decided that although we don't need to be together for the sake of our tribes, I think we should be together because you promised!"

Koga groaned, but Inuyasha began to laugh again.

"You're pathetic, Koga!" Inuyasha sneered.

"Koga, can't you remember promising to be with Ayame at all?" Kagome asked Koga.

"No," he lied, avoiding her eyes awkwardly. "I don't remember anything. Maybe she's thinking about some other wolf demon."

"Koga…" Ayame whimpered, her eyes becoming large and pitiful as she looked up at him.

"Sorry Ayame, I have to avenge the deaths of my brothers," Koga replied firmly. "I have to find Naraku and destroy him. Ginta, Hakkaku, let's go."

Koga took a step forwards, wincing in pain as put more weight onto his bitten leg.

"Koga, you're hurt!" Ayame wailed, her eyed dropping to the four puncture-wounds left by Kirara's fangs.

"It's nothing," Koga assured her, despite the fact that his face was contorted in pain and his voice was strained.

"Who did this to you, Koga?" Ayame asked.

"A crazy cat," Koga grumbled, casting a sideward glance at Kirara, who was still sat on the rock next to Sango.

"Her?" Ayame asked, pointing over at Kirara. "She did this to you? Then I shall avenge you!"

"What?" Koga muttered, watching Ayame as she walked past him. "Hey, where are you going now? What are you doing? Ayame!"

"Gee, Kirara sure has made a lot of enemies," Shippo commented as Ayame stormed over to the fire-cat. "Since she got her human-form back, she's never been out of a fight with someone!"

"Cat demon, did you hurt my Koga?" Ayame demanded, stopping before Kirara.

Sango groaned quietly, a small part of her wondering if things might have been easier if Kirara had just stayed as a cat.

"Yes I did," Kirara replied honestly, standing up in front of Ayame.

Ayame faltered for a moment as she saw just how tall Kirara was, but a glance over her shoulder told her that Koga was still watching her, and so she summoned up every ounce of courage within her soul and stood up as tall as she could in front of Kirara.

"Then I have no choice but to fight you," Ayame announced.

"I will not fight you," Kirara quietly replied.

"Good," Sango said, standing up.

"Stay out of this, mortal!" Ayame warned her, holding up one hand to halt her progress. "You will fight me, cat demon!"

"No, I will not," Kirara said again, her voice still hushed. "But I will help you, if you like."

"What?" Ayame echoed, her tough expression falling into one of confusion. "What do you mean? I don't need any help! Especially not from the likes of you!"

A sly smile briefly lifted the corners of Kirara's mouth before she hurriedly suppressed it again.

"You will fight me!" Ayame yelled at her.

"I will not fight you," Kirara loudly replied. "Not here."

Kirara leapt backwards, over the rock she had just been sat upon.

"We will settle this in another location," she said.

"Kirara, what are you doing?" Sango hissed at her.

"Trust me," Kirara whispered back, winking at her.

"As much as I would like to trust you, I–"

"So be it, cat!" Ayame shouted out, interrupting Sango. "Choose your location!"

"Right this way…" Kirara said, before spinning around and running off.

Ayame hurried after her, leaving Sango behind to sigh in despair.

Kirara strategically led Ayame into a small wooded area, out of sight of the others, before she stopped running. Once there, she turned around and waited for Ayame to join her, smiling at the worried yet determined expression on Ayame's face.

"I didn't bring you here to fight you, Ayame," Kirara began. "I want to help you."

"Help me?" Ayame repeated suspiciously. "But I already told you, I don't need your help!"

"Maybe not, but I would like to offer you my help regardless," Kirara insisted. "I am willing to let you leave here alone, and return to the others to tell them of your victory over me."

"I… I don't understand…" Ayame said.

"Koga is searching for Naraku," Kirara explained. "If you can prove that you are strong, he will let you travel with him."

"And I can prove that by defeating you."

"Yes, exactly. I will let you leave here soon, and you can tell Koga how you defeated me."

"You will pretend I defeated you? I don't understand why you would do such a thing."

"Because I promised a friend many, many years ago that I would help those who were true of heart. I was trapped under a spell for a long time, and I learned that helping others is important to me. And I want to help you now."

"And you seek nothing in return?"

"My reward is in being of service to you. And of course, if Koga takes you for his mate, he will cease pestering my group, and we can concentrate our efforts on finding Naraku and completing the Shikon Jewel once more."

Ayame nodded slowly, but still looked sceptical.

"So what should we do?" she asked.

Kirara smiled, walking closer to Ayame to share her plan with her.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Ayame and Kirara put Kirara's plan into action, but will it work? Koga reacts and Kirara makes a shocking discovery. **Chapter 7 – Ayame's Victory**.


	7. Ayame's Victory

**Recap:** Koga and Kirara had a small fight, after which Ayame appeared and challenged Kirara to a fight. Kirara appeared to accept Ayame's challenge, but revealed that she had another idea in store.

* * *

 **Chapter 7 – Ayame's Victory**

"First of all, we must stay here long enough for everyone to believe that a battle has taken place," Kirara began.

Ayame slowly nodded in agreement.

"Secondly, we must make it look as though a battle has actually taken place," Kirara continued. "Even though you are far more powerful than I am, and you defeated me with relative ease, we must make it at least look like I tried to fight back."

"But I'm not a lot stronger than you," Ayame nervously replied.

"Yes you are," Kirara said, smiling warmly at Ayame.

"But–"

"This is a game, remember?"

Ayame looked confused, and so Kirara set about putting the plan into action on her own.

"What are you doing?" Ayame asked, stretching onto her toes to watch curiously on as Kirara squatted down and began clawing her hands through the dirt at her feet.

"During our battle, you pinned me to the ground, where you got covered in dirt," Kirara explained, standing up again with handfuls of dirt.

Ayame started in alarm as Kirara threw the mud and leaves at her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ayame snapped, wiping at her fur where most of the dirt had landed.

"That's right, smear it in," Kirara encouraged. "Make it look like there has been a struggle."

Kirara walked over to Ayame, drawing her muddied fingertips over Ayame's face.

"This is crazy…" Ayame said, crossing her eyes to watch Kirara's hand moving over her face.

"But it will work, you just have to trust me," Kirara insisted. "Now, mess your hair up a little."

"Do what?" Ayame echoed.

"Mess your hair up!" Kirara repeated. "Like this."

"Hey!" Ayame protested as Kirara ruffled a hand through the hair on top of her head.

"We need to make this look convincing, and without me actually scratching or hitting you, this is the best I can do," Kirara explained.

"Oh…" Ayame said. "Right…"

Despite trying to look convinced, Ayame merely look more confused than ever; but she did comply with Kirara's wishes in silence.

"There!" Kirara said proudly.

"What about you?" Ayame asked, eying over Kirara's spotless new armour.

"I'm still unconscious by that tree over there where you left me, broken and defeated," Kirara replied, as if the answer should have been obvious.

"I really beat you then," Ayame said, frowning at the area Kirara had indicated.

"Yes, you did!" Kirara said cheerfully. "That's the spirit!"

Kilala playfully punched Ayame in the shoulder, the blow causing Ayame to stagger back a step.

"Sorry," Kirara hurriedly apologised. "It's been so long since I had hands, I'm still getting accustomed to how they work and how strong they actually are."

Ayame eyed Kirara over as though she were mentally unstable, before forcing a smile.

"Well, thank you for your help, cat demon," she said.

"My name is Kirara," Kirara replied.

"Right," Ayame said slowly. "Well then thank you for your help Kirara."

"No problem, Ayame."

Ayame nodded slowly, still eying Kirara warily, in spite of the friendly grin plastered across the fire-cat's face.

"So should I leave now?" she asked.

"Well, do you think that was long enough to defeat me?" Kirara asked her.

"I don't know," Ayame replied honestly.

"Well I think you can leave now," Kirara offered. "But first, I have something I must share with you. You can take this as advice, and you can ignore it if you wish, but please promise me that you will at least consider what I am about to say."

"Alright, I promise," Ayame agreed.

"These are dangerous times, and with Naraku around, we are constantly fighting for our lives," Kirara began, her grin vanishing as she became serious. "In times as dark as these, it is important to be honest and true, and to give love where you can. If you truly love Koga, you must do what you can to be with him."

"Right," Ayame said. "Well, thank you for that advice, Kirara. And thank you for the… Fight…"

"You're welcome, Ayame!" Kirara replied, her grin returning.

"Well, goodbye Kirara," Ayame said, backing away from her slowly. "And thank you again."

"Goodbye, Ayame!" Kirara called to her. "And good luck!"

Ayame turned her back on Kirara, shaking her head in disbelief at the crazy fire-cat. Deciding that it would not be right to run back to the others, Ayame walked back slowly, trying to look both tired and proud, even though she was still energised from the rushes of adrenaline that had been coursing through her when she first challenged Kirara, and she felt more confused than anything else.

"Ayame!" Kagome shouted to her as she stepped into sight of the others.

"Hey, where'd Kirara go?" Inuyasha shouted.

"I beat her," Ayame called back, her tone losing some of its decisive momentum as the words left her mouth.

"You what?" Koga echoed.

"I defeated her," Ayame repeated. "I had to, after what she did to you, Koga."

"Wow, I guess what they say about a woman scorned really is true…" Koga mused.

Although Koga had spoken under her breath, Ayame had heard his words, and the very idea that Kirara's plan might actually be working gave her the courage and inspiration that she needed to continue.

"Koga, let me help you avenge your tribe," she offered as she neared Koga. "Let me and my wolves travel with you, and we can help you defeat Naraku."

Koga eyed her over sceptically. Sensing that she was losing him, Ayame hurriedly continued.

"It's the least I can do, after you saved me when I was young," she said. "I am indebted to you. Please let me repay you."

Koga still looked sceptical, but Kagome, Ginta and Hakkaku seemed to like the idea.

"It would be good to have an extra demon with us," Hakkaku suggested.

"Someone else to help with the night-watch," Ginta added.

"I think it's a great idea!" Kagome gushed. "Koga, you must let Ayame come with you!"

"Well, if she really is strong enough to defeat that cat demon, then I suppose she could be useful…" Koga said thoughtfully.

"Take her with you already, Koga!" Inuyasha snapped impatiently. "Just take her, and take your wolves, and get out of here! All of you!"

"Shut-up, dog-boy!" Koga said dismissively.

"I don't see your stupid, skinny, hairy little legs running away yet, Koga," Inuyasha sneered.

"I'm thinking about it, back off!" Koga retaliated.

"Well think faster, idiot!" Inuyasha grumbled.

"I'm going to check on Kirara," Sango said, hurrying off in the direction Ayame had just come from.

A mild wave of panic washed over Ayame as she realised Kirara's plan would be ruined if the others discovered that Kirara had not been hurt at all.

"Let's go, Koga," she said decisively. "Let's find Naraku before Inuyasha does, and defeat him in the name of the wolf."

"I like the sound of that," Koga agreed. "Let's go."

Unable to hide her grin as Koga grabbed her up into his arms, Ayame barely had time to say the word "bye" before he had whisked her off, leaving Ginta, Hakkaku and the wolves desperately trying to catch up with them.

"Good, he's gone," Inuyasha said, before opening the bag of potato chips he had somehow managed to rescue from Koga.

"Inuyasha, why do you have to be so mean to Koga?" Kagome asked him sternly.

"Gee I dunno Kagome," Inuyasha sneered sarcastically. "Why do you have to be so nice to him?"

"Sango, Kirara," Miroku said, looking at first surprised to see them both returning, but then confused when he saw Kirara was completely unharmed. "What happened?"

"Kirara decided she would just pretend to fight Ayame," Sango explained. "She told Ayame to tell Koga that she had beaten her.

"And my plan worked!" Kirara said smugly. "The dogs are gone!"

"The wolves, you mean," Sango corrected her.

"Right, that was what I said," Kirara said with a nod of her head. "The wolves are gone."

Sango and Miroku exchanged sceptical looks, but Kirara appeared not to notice.

"It was just lucky I had my medical supplies with me," Kagome said as she repacked the unused supplies into her bag. "You almost bit right through Koga's leg, Kirara."

"Obviously she didn't bite him deep enough, he's still got both shards of the jewel," Inuyasha moaned.

"Wait a minute…" Kagome said, tilting her head thoughtfully as she pointed a finger at each of the items in her first-aid box in turn. "Oh no!"

"What is it, Kagome?" Shippo asked her, leaping over to her side in concern.

"I forgot to pack the antidote for the poison from Naraku's insects!" she groaned. "And it would take hours to go back for it now!"

"It is something that we need though," Miroku pointed out.

"I'll go back for it," Inuyasha offered. "You all keep going, I'll catch you up again. You left it at Kaede's hut, right?"

"Right," Kagome confirmed.

"No, wait," Kirara interrupted them. "Please, let me go back for it. I know exactly what it looks like, and I can be just as quick as Inuyasha can."

"I could be quicker," Inuyasha grunted.

"I'm not trying to compete with you, Inuyasha," Kirara said lightly. "But you are needed here. You have a better nose than me for detecting any traces of Naraku, and you are the only one who can break his barrier if we do find him any time soon."

"She's right," Kagome agreed. "But maybe I should go back on my bike."

"No, you're needed here too, Kagome," Kirara insisted. "You are the only one who can sense the jewel shards. And neither Sango, Miroku or even Shippo can move as fast as I can. I'll transform and fly back. I won't be long."

"Maybe I should come with you, Kirara," Sango suggested. "In case you can't find your way back."

"I will be fine," Kirara assured her. "And I will travel much quicker on my own."

"Well, alright then…" Sango said slowly, still looking less than convinced by the arrangement.

"Keep going, I'll be back with you as soon as I can," Kirara said. "Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye Kirara," Sango said, watching solemnly as Kirara leapt into the air, transforming into her giant cat form and flying off.

"Don't worry, you've still got me here with you, Sango," Miroku offered, sliding his hand across her rear-end.

"And I'm eternally grateful," Sango drawled sarcastically, before smacking Miroku across the face.

* * *

As Kirara descended towards Kaede's village, she transformed back into her human form, making her way over to the hut. Kaede was out tending to her herbs, and so Kirara had peace to find the antidote. A few minutes of clawing through the mountain of bags Kagome and Inuyasha had taken back from Kagome's era soon led to Kirara finding the item she sought. Kagome had packed three bottles of the antidote this time, but Kirara decided to just take two; at least that way if anything happened to Kagome's first aid box, they would know they had a spare antidote nearby.

Returning one bottle to the bag and stuffing the other two into her belt, along with a few additional ointments and bandages she had seen Kagome use to dress wounds, Kirara left the hut again, deciding that since she had reached the village so quickly she would make the return journey in her human form. She was still not entirely adjusted to walking around on two legs again, and the exercise seemed like a good idea.

Aware that the others would probably have slowed their journey to allow her to catch them up again, Kirara was conscious not to travel too slowly, and began by running through the trees, past the old bone-eater's well and beyond. Once she reached a part of the forest where the trees were much thicker, Kirara scaled up the nearest tree and began leaping from tree to tree, silently noting that, since Naraku's disappearance, there certainly were more demons around. All manners of bird demons were flying around along the horizon in every direction, and in the trees and on the ground below her, Kirara could see some of the more common demons like centipede demons, weasel demons, bear demons and snake demons.

Kirara contemplated stopping to battle some of the larger, stronger demons she passed nearby, her mind still conscious that she was sorely lacking in recent battle experience in her human form; but she ignored the urge, hurrying on to her friends.

However, Kirara's urge to test her skills suddenly overtook her desire to return to the group quickly. Pouncing into a tree and clinging to its trunk, Kirara honed her senses in on the distinct demon aura ahead of her. Far stronger than any of the others she had encountered so far, Kirara became slightly suspicious of its even being there. Deciding to investigate its presence to satisfy her own curiosity as well as to test her own strength, Kirara strayed from the North-Easterly direction she had been taking, turning North-West to follow the demonic aura.

Ignoring a warning she had once heard about curiosity being the death of a cat, Kirara soon found herself at the edge of the forest, overlooking a large grassy plain, with little more to see than a few sparsely distributed clumps of flowers. Hesitating at the top of a tree by the very edge of the forest, Kirara began to contemplate abandoning her pursuit of the demon; but a gust of wind brought the scent of blood to her nostrils, her attention once more fully fixed on the demon.

Looking directly down, Kirara almost fell out of the tree at what she saw. By the very base of the tree she was in she could see a young girl on her own, knelt in the grass. Was she hurt? Was she even human? Kirara sniffed experimentally at the air, her senses telling her two things: first of all, the blood in the air belonged to a dragon demon, and secondly, the girl below her was indeed human.

Kirara quietly slid down the tree, stepping out into the light.

"Hello there," she said.

The girl looked up abruptly, blinking at her for a moment before grinning up at her.

"Hello," she replied.

"What are you doing?" Kirara asked, crouching down by the girl's side.

"I'm making a chain of flowers," the girl replied, holding up the fruits of her efforts.

"Oh, that's pretty," Kirara said with a smile. "Are you here alone?"

A quick, sly sniff of the air told Kirara there were no humans around. And, other than Kaede's village far behind her, there were no human settlements nearby either. This human girl was, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere, and still just young.

"No," the girl replied, shaking her head as she continued to thread together the flowers she had.

"Oh," Kirara said, looking around for any signs of life that her nose may have missed. "Someone is with you? Your mother, or your father? Or maybe your brother or your sister?

"My mother and father and my brothers were killed," the girl solemnly replied.

"Oh, that's awful," Kirara said, sitting down and crossing her legs in front of her. "So who looks after you now? Did you run away from home?"

"The people in my village were killed by wolves," the girl replied.

A momentary expression of horror flashed over Kirara's face, but she quickly covered it over.

"Are you here alone?" she asked again.

"No," the girl said again. "I'm helping Ah and Un get better."

"Ah and Un?" Kirara asked. "Who are Ah and Un?"

"My friends," the girl answered, pointing over Kirara's shoulder.

Kirara stiffened, the overwhelming scent of the dragon demon's blood invading her senses, and the sudden close proximity of the strong demonic aura instantly causing her defences to rise. She turned her head sharply, gasping as she sighted a two-headed dragon demon with a bloodied leg limping towards them. The demon stopped after a few steps and began to eat the leaves from a nearby bush, apparently unperturbed by Kirara's presence.

"That dragon demon is your friend?" Kirara asked, turning back to the girl.

"M-hm," she replied, nodding her head. "Will you be my friend too?"

"Of course," Kirara replied. "And I would like to help you. Why don't you let me take you – and Ah and Un, of course – to the next village? There will be people there who can take good care of you. You can get food, and water, and some… New clothes…"

Kirara frowned darkly as she ran her eyes over the girl's clothing, having to fight the urge to reach a hand out to touch the material. It looked like fine silk, hand-embroidered with pain-staking accuracy. For a girl who seemed to live in the wild with nothing but an injured, elderly dragon demon for a companion, she was certainly very clean and very well dressed. Kirara momentarily entertained the idea that this girl was a princess, or the daughter of a lord or some sort of dignitary, who had fled her village following a demon attack, her dragon companion allowing her to flee quickly and safely; but Kirara dismissed the idea again, deciding that such a girl would attract too much attention from other humans, who would doubtlessly look for her due to her material value.

"Oh, that's alright, I don't want to go to the village," the girl said. "What's your name?"

"My name?" Kirara echoed. "My name is Kirara."

"Kirara. That's a pretty name," the girl said cheerfully. "My name's Rin."

"Nice to meet you, Rin," Kirara replied. "What happened to Ah and Un?"

"I don't know, they won't tell me," Rin whispered, glancing over Kirara's shoulder as though checking the beast could not hear her. "They went on a special mission with Master Jaken, and when they came back, they were hurt. But I cleaned their wounds."

"Oh, well that was very clever of you, Rin," Kirara said, smiling as Rin beamed up at her compliment. "And who is Master Jaken?"

"Master Jaken is my friend," Rin plainly replied. "He's very moody, but he's very funny too."

"I see," Kirara said, nodding her head.

"Look, you can wear this flower chain," Rin said, tying a small line of flowers around Kirara's wrist. "It's just like mine."

Kirara smiled at the wilting, well-handled flowers that hung from Rin's wrist.

"Now we can be friends forever, Kirara!" Rin squealed, clapping her hands in delight.

"Thank you, Rin," Kirara said. "Rin, when did you clean Ah and Un's wounds?"

"Um…"

"Have you cleaned them today?"

"No."

"Those wounds look quite bad, can you call Ah and Un over for me please?"

Rin stood up, cupping her hands over her mouth.

"Ah-Un!" she called.

Kirara watched the dragon trot over slowing at it neared her back.

"It's okay, Ah-Un, Kirara is our friend," Rin said softly. "Come on over."

Ah-Un edged closer, all four of its eyes watching Kirara cautiously. Kirara slowly moved onto her knees, reaching out a hand towards the dragon. The head nearest her flinched back at first, but a few soothing, reassuring words from Rin soon calmed the beast again, allowing Kirara to move closer, grabbing a hand around the reins hanging from its heads.

"Rin, I think we need to clean Ah and Un's wounds again," Kirara said, her lip curling in spite of herself as she saw the festering sores on the beast's front leg. "I think they have been chewing at their injuries, so it's very important that we clean the wounds and dress them properly."

Kirara had been about to suggest that Rin hold Ah-Un still whilst she treated the wounds, but as the beast tossed one of its heads, the reins almost tugging right out of her hand, Kirara realised such an idea was insane. This was a very powerful old demon, and no human, least of all a little human girl, would ever be able to hold it against its will.

"Rin, have you ever dressed a wound before?" Kirara asked, wrapping the reins around her hand and wrist and clutching onto them tightly.

"Uh-uh," Rin replied, shaking her head.

"Would you like to learn how to dress a wound?" Kirara asked politely.

"Yes please," Rin said, stepping forwards eagerly.

"Alright then."

Kirara reached her free hand into her belt, clumsily pulling out items she had retrieved from Kagome's bag, dropping them all onto the ground by Rin's feet.

"First of all, we need this," Kirara said, pointing to a can of the spray-on antiseptic Kagome always carried with her.

Silently praying that the operation of the can would not be beyond or too frightening for Rin, Kirara grabbed onto Ah-Un's reins with her other hand, holding its heads tightly in place.

"This," Rin said, picking up the can.

"Now, you see that small part on the top?" Kirara asked. "I need you to point that at the wounds and press it hard. It will make an strange sound, and Ah and Un might be a little upset at first, but this will help the wound heal much quicker."

"Alright."

Rin did as Kirara said, moving the top of the can to Ah-Un's wounds. She was holding it a little too close to the wound, but Kirara decided that it would probably still do the beast far more good than bad. Rin began to press the spray, at first not pressing it hard enough to activate it. Kirara opened her mouth to tell Rin to press harder, when the spray suddenly activated, spraying into Kirara's mouth and all over her face.

Kirara began choking on the spray as Rin profusely apologised for her error; but Kirara was too distracted to even notice her any more. Not only was the taste of the spray overwhelming her delicate demon senses, but Ah-Un had reacted badly to the unusual sound, and both its heads were rearing up, tugging the reins with them. In Kirara's stunned and momentarily weakened state, she was dragged up by the dragon, shaken from side-to-side, one of her hands slipping from the reins.

Kirara mewed in alarm as she remembered that her other hand was still wrapped around the reins, leaving her effectively tied to the dragon demon. Kirara tried desperately to free her hand, but Ah-Un had begun to buck around recklessly, stamping all over the supplies Kirara's had taken with her, smashing both bottles of the antidote.

"No…" Kirara whimpered helplessly as she watched the antidotes soak into the ground.

"Ah-Un, stop it!" Rin cried, throwing aside the antiseptic spray. "You're going to hurt Kirara!"

Rin tried to grab Ah-Un's reins, but the dragon jerked out of her reach, jumping into the air. Kirara screamed as Ah-Un began to fly upwards, leaving her dangling by her wrist. She hurriedly reached up her other hand, freeing herself and falling ungracefully to the ground, landing hard on her back. Closing her eyes and groaning softly, Kirara tried not to think about the wasted antidotes. She coughed feebly as the antiseptic tickled her throat, slowly opening her eyes and sitting up.

Once she was sitting upright, Kirara coughed a few more times, before freezing as she realised she was suddenly under a large shadow, inwardly kicking herself for not having detected the phenomenally large demonic aura before her, one so immense it dwarfed that of Ah-Un's.

"Lord Sesshomaru, you've come back!" Rin said.

"Huh?" Kirara yelped, her head snapping back to look up at the figure standing over her.

"It's a filthy cat demon, Milord!" Jaken squawked, poking the end of his staff at Kirara's face.

Kirara ignored the little toad, coughing feebly against the antiseptic as she looked into the intense pair of amber eyes staring back down at her.

"Of course," she said, smiling ironically. "Lord Sesshomaru. Who else would it be?"

Kirara forced out a choked, bitter laugh, before falling backwards unconscious. Jaken leaned over her curiously, poking her upper arm repeatedly with the end of his staff. When she did not respond after ten or twelve particularly rough jabs, Jaken decided to stop.

"She's unconscious, Milord," he announced, turning to Sesshomaru. "Shall we eat her?"

Sesshomaru began to squat down, reaching his hand towards Kirara's limp form; but before he could reach his goal, Rin threw herself over Kirara's torso.

"No Lord Sesshomaru, please don't hurt her, she's my friend!" Rin begged.

Sesshomaru immediately retracted his hand, narrowing his eyes curiously as he glanced between Rin's tearful eyes and Kirara, who lay flat on her back, her arms and legs spread out on the ground around her, her mouth hanging open, looking about as far from a lady as one possibly could.

For the first time in his life, Sesshomaru was unsure of what to do next.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** With her friends waiting for her to return with the poison antidote, Kirara needs to get back to Kaede's village to get the remaining bottle and return it to her friends as soon as possible; but this seemingly simple task becomes a lot more difficult for Kirara when Rin asks her an unusual question. **Chapter 8 – Rin's Request**.


	8. Rin's Request

**Recap:** After being fooled into thinking Ayame had defeated Kirara in battle, Koga allowed Ayame to join him, Ginta, Hakkaku and the wolves in their search for Naraku. Kirara returned to Kaede's village alone to collect some poison antidote for Kagome's first-aid box, but on her return journey, she stumbled into Rin and the injured Ah-Un.

* * *

 **Chapter 8 – Rin's Request**

"My men and I ate cat demons just like her all the time," Jaken said, his eyes glistening greedily. "Thread their innards on a stick, and roast them on a fire!"

"No!" Rin wailed, tears forming in her eyes as she gripped her hands into Kirara's kimono. "She's my friend, you can't eat her, Master Jaken!"

"She probably wouldn't taste too good," Jaken said casually, jabbing the end of his staff at Kirara's bare arm. "Too old. It's best to eat them when they're still children, and the meat is still juicy and tender."

"You eat children, Master Jaken?" Rin asked, her eyes wide with horror. "Would you eat me?"

Jaken grumbled something indecipherable, but Rin did distinctly hear the words "can't any more", which was enough to send her into a fit of tears.

"Rin, stop that," Sesshomaru said, the piercing sound at last bringing him to his senses. "Jaken, get some water."

"Milord?" Jaken asked. "Should I start a fire instead? Cats taste much better roasted than boiled–"

"Get some water Jaken, that is an order," Sesshomaru warned him.

Jaken sighed, trundling off to fulfil his master's orders. Meanwhile Rin wiped her tears from her eyes, snivelling as she stared up at Sesshomaru with wide, pleading eyes.

"Are you going to eat Kirara?" she asked.

"Kirara," he said, turning his eyes to the unconscious cat demon.

Sesshomaru studied her for a moment, deep in thought, before turning back to Rin.

"Rin, take Ah-Un and collect some firewood," he told her.

"Firewood?" Rin echoed, her already impossibly large eyes growing even larger still. "Are you going eat Kirara, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"No," Sesshomaru simply replied. "Go now."

"Yes My Lord," Rin agreed, standing up.

Sesshomaru waited until Rin had mounted Ah-Un and flown into the forest before reaching his hand out towards Kirara. Roughly grabbing the chunk of black hair at the left side of her head, he pulled her up into a sitting position, curling his lip in disgust as she slouched against his grip. He considered leaving her as she was, as the sound of her voice did little more than irritate him; but since Rin had apparently formed some sort of instantaneous bond with the cat, Sesshomaru decided he should at least wake the creature up.

Opening his fingers and allowing her to fall roughly back to the ground, Sesshomaru leaned over her fallen form, moving his hand towards her face. However, the force of her fall appeared to have been enough to wake her, as she groaned, her nose twitching.

"Inu-Inuyasha?" she whispered, her eyes slowly fluttering open. "Ugh, it's you!" she groaned, closing her eyes again.

Sesshomaru remained still and silent, watching impassively as Kirara's eyes suddenly snapped open again, staring at him as she inhaled deeply. She made a small hissing sound in the back of her throat before shuffling out from under him and stumbling awkwardly to her feet, her face turning red as he watched her.

"What were you doing?" she asked, trying to look dignified by straightening her back and standing to her fullest height.

Sesshomaru slowly rose to his feet, running his eyes over her before answering her.

"I could ask the same of you, cat," he smoothly replied.

"Not really," Kirara snapped. "I was lying on the ground unconscious, and you were… You were…"

Kirara's face turned redder still, and she hissed again, turning her back on Sesshomaru and folding her arms indignantly.

"The little girl, Rin," she said, after a short pause. "She appears to know you. How can that be?"

When Sesshomaru did not answer her, Kirara turned around, yelping in anger when she saw that Sesshomaru was walking away from her.

"Hey!" she yelled after him. "Where do you think you're going, dog? I was asking you a question! It's very rude not to answer someone when they are asking you a question! Especially when the person asking the question happens to be a lady!"

Sesshomaru stopped walking, bringing a smug smile to Kirara's face.

"Yes, that's right, Lord Sesshomaru," she continued. "I'm calling you rude!"

Sesshomaru turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at her.

"And you also call yourself a lady," he said calmly. "How easy it is for you lie."

Kirara yelped in offence, yelping again as Sesshomaru turned his back on her and walked on, leaving her alone.

"Jackass…" she grumbled, crouching down to retrieve the medical supplies Ah-Un had not destroyed in its rampage.

Kirara stuffed the salvageable items back into her belt standing up and sighing at the sight of the shattered bottles of antidote.

'Inuyasha and Kagome are going to kill me,' she thought to herself.

But before Kirara could dwell on that sentiment, she was rudely awoken from her thoughts by a wall of cold water hitting her back.

"Hey!" she yelled, spinning around to find Jaken with an empty bucket in his hands. "What did you do that for?"

"You're too filthy to be near my Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken ranted, grabbing up a second bucket and throwing it at her.

Kirara hissed, screwing her eyes shut tight as the icy cold water slapped against her face. As Kirara was wiping the water from her face she suddenly felt something that instantly brought an image of Miroku to her mind: someone was grabbing at her outer left thigh. Looking down at the hand, Kirara was horrified to find the little toad demon Jaken squeezing and prodding at her leg.

"Get off of me, you slimy little toad!" she yelled, kicking out her leg and sending him flying away from her. "Such a rude, ignorant little man!" she grumbled.

She groaned in despair as she saw Jaken scramble to his feet and start running towards her again, waving a fist above his head and cursing her creed. However Kirara was distracted from his advance as she heard a piercing scream from above her head. Looking up, she saw Ah-Un floundering in the air and Rin sliding from its back.

"Rin!" she cried, leaping up into the air.

Kirara caught Rin in her arms, dodging out of the way as Ah-Un fell to the ground. Holding Rin tightly to her chest, Kirara dropped gracefully to the ground, finding herself suddenly face-to-face with Sesshomaru. Kirara gasped, instinctively clutching Rin closer to her body.

"What happened?" he asked her.

"Your dragon is badly hurt," Kirara replied, regaining her composure at last. "Your failure your treat its wounds properly has led to the creature suffering greatly. Your negligence just put this little girl's life at risk. You are a selfish, insufferable, intolerable, rude and arrogant creature, who fails to remember that he is, in fact, nothing more than a dog!"

Kirara growled, lowering Rin gently to her feet.

"Are you alright, Rin?" she asked her.

Rin waited until Kirara had released her fully before turning and running to Sesshomaru. Kirara watched in a state of bewilderment as Rin grabbed handfuls of Sesshomaru's hair, burying her face into his thigh.

"What have you done to her?" she hissed at Sesshomaru. "What sort of sick experiment is this? Why have you put a charm on this girl to make her love you so?"

When Sesshomaru remained silent, Kirara began to back away from him, stopping as her heel kicked against something. Looking down at her foot, Kirara saw the can of antiseptic spray. Looking slightly beyond it, Kirara saw the weakened form of Ah-Un.

"Please do not misunderstand me, Lord Sesshomaru," she said as she gathered up the can of spray. "For what I am about to do is not as a service for you, but merely to aid this poor, suffering creature."

Without waiting to hear Sesshomaru's opinion upon the matter, Kirara knelt down by Ah-Un's side, spraying the anti-septic over the wound. Due to its weakened state, Ah-Un did little more than wince at the sound and sensation of the spray, letting out a small moan from one of its throats. Kirara retrieved the bandages from her belt and set about wrapping them around Ah-Un's leg. Once she was satisfied that she had done all she could for the dragon demon, Kirara stood up again, turning in preparation to leave, only to almost walk right into Jaken, who was holding something up towards her.

"My Lord wishes you to join him for tea," Jaken said bitterly.

Kirara looked down at the bowl of tea in Jaken's hands, her mind racing. She turned her head to one side, finding Sesshomaru sat by a small fire, with Rin cuddled up in the folds of his fur boa by his side.

"No thank you," Kirara said politely to Jaken.

"How dare you refuse my Lord's offer?" Jaken snapped.

"I am merely refusing to join him for tea, I am sure he will not mind," Kirara spat back. "Why don't you join him instead, you seem to be overly fond of him yourself!"

Jaken growled indignantly at Kirara, spinning on one heel and waddling back over to his master. Kirara sighed softly in relief, taking one last look at Ah-Un. Once she had ascertained that the dragon was comfortable, Kirara again turned to leave, this time finding herself confronted by Sesshomaru himself.

"You will join us for tea," he said gruffly, pushing the bowl of tea towards her.

"No, I will not," Kirara stubbornly replied, pushing the bowl back from herself.

"I am not asking you to join us," Sesshomaru growled, his face darkening. "It is an order."

"An order?" Kirara echoed. "Who are you to be giving me orders?"

"Is it not true that you devote your life to helping humans?"

Kirara faltered, part of her concerned that Sesshomaru perceived this as a weakness, and the other part of her apprehensive about the direction he appeared to be steering their conversation.

"Yes, it is true," she eventually admitted.

Sesshomaru slowly and purposefully lowered his eyes to Kirara's left hand. Gulping, she slowly looked down herself, inwardly kicking herself as her eyes landed on the withered chain of wild flowers Rin had tied to her wrist. She slowly lifted her eyes back to Sesshomaru's, fully aware that the look on her face told him of his victory.

"Now you will join us for tea," Sesshomaru said, pushing the bowl towards her.

"Yes," she replied in defeat, accepting the bowl.

Sesshomaru walked slowly back to the fire, leaving Kirara biting back her own anger and swallowing her pride. She turned towards the fire, smirking briefly as she saw Rin celebrate at the prospect of her company and Jaken cower by the base of a tree, nursing a series of newly-inflicted injuries about his head: obviously the result of his failure to force her to join them.

Kirara slowly made her way over to the fire, deliberately sitting down at the other side of the fire from Sesshomaru, feeling somewhat more comfortable having the fire between them. As she sipped at her tea, the combined warmth of the fire and tea suddenly made Kirara shiver. She looked up sharply as she lowered her bowl of tea, finding Sesshomaru staring at her.

"Your servant threw two buckets of cold water at me," she explained, wiping a bedraggled strand of blonde hair from her eyes.

"She was dirty!" Jaken argued back.

But Sesshomaru did not so much as look in Jaken's direction.

"Are you cold, Kirara?" Rin asked, gathering up Sesshomaru's boa around herself.

"No," Kirara hurriedly replied, holding up a hand to halt Rin's progress. "I'm fine thank you."

"But this would help you keep warm!" Rin offered, holding up the fur.

"No thank you, I will be alright," Kirara insisted, before sipping at her tea again.

Kirara's lips curled involuntarily; there was something distinctly sour about the taste of her tea.

"Did you make this?" she asked, turning to Jaken.

"I always make tea for my master," Jaken cryptically replied.

"Did you put a pungent herb in my bowl?" she asked, narrowing her eyes threateningly in a way that suggested he should not dare try to lie to her.

"No, that is how it always tastes," Sesshomaru said.

Kirara turned to him, waiting for him to follow up his remark with a cutting comment about her tastes being different on account of her being a lowly cat demon; but he remained silent and expressionless. After a few moments of silence had passed, Kirara began to wonder if Sesshomaru had just made an attempt at humour rather than taken yet another stab at her heritage; but the very idea seemed so ridiculous, and nothing in his expression or tone suggested that he wished to amuse her with his remark, and so she quickly dismissed the idea.

"Look, Lord Sesshomaru, I made this for you," Rin said, tying a chain of flowers around his wrist.

Sesshomaru watched her for a moment before his eyes darted to Kirara, who quickly concealed her smile; but not so quickly that Sesshomaru failed to notice it.

"Now we can all be friends," Rin announced. "And we can stay together forever and ever."

Under different circumstances, Kirara might have laughed as she saw Sesshomaru's mask of flawless non-emotion crack to momentarily reveal his shock at Rin's words; but Kirara was unable to laugh when she saw how serious Rin was, and how happy she was at the very idea she had just proposed.

"Rin, I can't stay with you forever," Kirara gently explained, deciding that she should be the first to talk, since Sesshomaru – despite having rebuilt his blank, heartless expression to perfection – was obviously still reeling from Rin's declaration. "I have to return to Inuyasha, we have a very important mission."

"You're going to leave us?" Rin asked, looking shocked by this piece of information. "But you said you would be my friend, Kirara!"

"And I am your friend, Rin!" Kirara hurriedly replied. "And I always will be! But for now, I really must go there are others who need me right now. But don't worry I am sure we will meet again. And in the mean time, I am certain Lord Sesshomaru will take very good care of you."

Kirara cast a glance at Sesshomaru, who was staring silently at her, his expression as unreadable as ever. She smiled at Rin, reaching a hand over to ruffle her hair affectionately. As she sat back, Kirara idly reached her left hand towards the plate in front of Jaken, which he had decorated lovingly with cubes of fresh fish, starting in alarm as her fingers collided with something.

Kirara looked first at her hand, her eyes widening as she saw her own fingers entangled through a set of clawed fingers on a hand with two purple stripes near the wrist. Kirara slowly moved her eyes to Sesshomaru, finding that he was already staring right at her; and much to Kirara's alarm, she found herself suddenly trapped again.

'This is just like what happened to me when he transformed and confronted me in the air,' she thought to herself. 'I can't move! Is this some sort of sorcery?'

Kirara wanted desperately to pull her hand back, but she found she could not move her hand. To her frustration, nor could she move her eyes from his, and she was certain her face was starting to turn red. Sesshomaru remained as expressionless as ever, but he made no effort to move his hand from hers.

"Look!" Rin cried, skipping around Sesshomaru's back and stopping by the plate their hands were joined over.

Rin pointed at their hands, at which Sesshomaru finally moved his eyes from Kirara, the small respite giving her the strength to move her own eyes to their hands, cringing inwardly at what she saw: Rin was cheerfully pointing out the fact that their wrists both bore a flower-chain. Kirara began to wish that she had let Sango come with her, as she felt certain only a smack in the head from a Hiraikotsu could bring her back to the real world right then.

"Get your filthy cat claws off my master!" Jaken screamed, whacking Kirara's forearm with his staff.

'Not quite a Hiraikotsu, but at least it worked,' Kirara thought to herself as her hand was knocked from Sesshomaru's.

"Filthy toad!" she quickly recovered, kicking Jaken in the side of the head, causing him to tumble into Rin's ankles.

"Jaken, stop trying to eat Kirara!" Rin yelled at him.

Kirara whimpered, standing abruptly. Sesshomaru immediately copied her action, his bowl of tea toppling off his knee and into the fire, where it hissed and crackled. Kirara found herself once more looking into his eyes and doing little more than breathing. She quickly closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"I have to leave now, you will excuse me, please," she said firmly, marching off.

"Kirara, please don't go!" Rin begged.

Kirara stumbled to a halt, biting her lip as her conscience fought against itself.

"I'm sorry Rin, I really must go now," she said, clenching her fists at her sides in determination. "Goodbye Rin. Goodbye Jaken."

Kirara gritted her teeth, her eyes twitching before she added her final remark.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she said hurriedly.

She began to run off, jumping up to transform and fly back; but before she could transform or become fully airborne she saw Sesshomaru appear from nowhere, standing suddenly directly in her path. Kirara tried to stop herself, but as her feet had already left the ground, she had nowhere to go but forwards. She groaned as she collided with Sesshomaru's sharp and unforgiving armour, silently glad that she was wearing the new, reinforced armour Totosai had given her. Her body literally bounced off of Sesshomaru, who did not so much as flinch, his eyes watching blankly as she fell in a crumpled heap at his feet.

"You will stay with us tonight," he said as she started to stand. "And that is not a request. That is an order."

"No, I will not stay with you!" Kirara said defiantly, standing up before him. "I think it very cruel of you to lead that poor mortal girl around, she obviously has no conception of what you really are. And your mistreatment of your trusted dragon demon disgusts me. And your sexually repressed toad servant will not survive the night if I am forced to spend any more time with him."

"You will stay, and that is an order."

"Did you not hear anything that I just said? I said no! I will not stay!"

"You will."

"I will not."

"You will."

"I will not."

Kirara raised her chin in the air in an attempt to look down her nose at Sesshomaru, despite the fact that the top of her head barely came to his shoulder. When Sesshomaru remained silent, Kirara assumed that he had finally understood her, and she lifted one foot to walk away, but before she could take her first step, Sesshomaru spoke again.

"You will," he said.

"No I will not!" Kirara yelled at him, her temper flaring. "I refuse to stay here another minute and watch you play "family"!"

When a hint of a frown came over Sesshomaru's face, Kirara continued.

"You make me sick, dog!" she growled, lowering her voice to ensure the others would not hear her. "I am trying to rid this world of Naraku and complete the Shikon Jewel once more, I don't have time to waste watching you have tea parties with your toad mate, your mortal child and your pet dragon!"

A grin broke out over Kirara's face as she saw Sesshomaru's eyes widen slightly in an expression of just how taken aback he was by her words.

"I don't let anyone talk to me that way," he said, his words sounding more like a statement than a threat, which only served to confuse Kirara.

"Inuyasha says far worse things to you!" Kirara retorted, trying to ignore his tone. "Although, he does know you a lot better than I do. I suppose it is easier for him to speak the truth."

"Kirara!"

Kirara and Sesshomaru both turned their heads as Rin called out, watching as she ran over to join them.

"Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered to Kirara.

"Of course," Kirara replied, trying her best to smile naturally, in spite of the sickening swirl of emotions that were coursing through her at that moment.

Rin beckoned for Kirara to come closer to her, and so Kirara politely lowered herself down onto one knee at Rin's side. Rin cupped a hand over her mouth and whispered her words into Kirara's ear, an action which seemed so redundant to Kirara, since Sesshomaru's keen sense of hearing would doubtlessly pick up every word regardless of whether she put her hand over her mouth or not.

"Maybe if you marry Lord Sesshomaru, we could all stay together forever," Rin whispered.

Kirara's mewed pitifully, standing abruptly, her eyes locking onto Sesshomaru. She was certain he must have heard Rin's request, but, as usual, his expression remained unchanged, and he said nothing. Rin began tugging at Kirara's hand, but Kirara ignored her, her mind screaming at her to find a way out of the situation she was now in.

'Slaying demons with Priestess Midoriko was never this hard!' she thought to herself.

Kirara mewed again involuntarily as Sesshomaru took a step towards her, standing uncomfortably close to her.

"You will," he simply said.

Kirara hung her head in defeat.

'What am I going to do now?' she thought.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Trapped between Rin's pleading and her own sense of duty, Kirara is left warring with herself about what to do next. **Chapter 9 – Kirara's Escape**.


	9. Kirara's Escape

**Recap:** Kirara became trapped in the tea party from hell, trying and failing several times to get back to her friends.

* * *

 **Chapter 9 – Kirara's Escape**

The small fire had died away to nothing more than a few deep red, smouldering embers, and Rin and Jaken had fallen asleep long ago. The sky was filled with stars, but as it was the night of the new moon, the land was exceptionally dark.

'I need to get back to Sango,' Kirara thought to herself. 'This is the night that Inuyasha takes mortal form, the night when he is at his weakest. He cannot use the Tetsusaiga, and he no longer has his claws and fangs to fight with. I can't stay here, I must go.'

Kirara looked across the remains of the fire, a small part of her screaming inwardly as she found a pair of unrelenting golden eyes still staring at her.

'Doesn't he ever go to sleep?' she thought irritably. 'What does he want with me anyway?'

Kirara smiled as an idea occurred to her, an action that did not go unnoticed by the ever-alert demon lord.

"I hope you are not scheming to betray Rin," he said coldly.

"Not at all," Kirara calmly replied. "I was merely wondering what the dog demon dignitaries of the Northern Lands would think of you if they saw you camping with a lowly fire-cat demon, a weak little toad demon and a mortal female child."

"You seek reasoning to leave?" Sesshomaru simply responded.

"If you do not let me leave soon, my friends will find me here with you," Kirara said, deciding that since all her attempts to talk her way out of trouble were so transparent, she might as well just be honest with him. "Is that what you want? You know how headstrong Inuyasha is, do you wish to engage in battle with him in full-view of the girl?"

"I understand Inuyasha is impetuous. I also know that there is no moon tonight, and so my brother is of little threat to me. He will not venture anywhere near me when he is in his mortal form."

"Why are you doing this to me?" Kirara hissed.

"You would betray the wishes of a mortal girl?"

"You would fulfil the wishes of a mortal girl?"

"For a mere woman, you talk far too much."

"Don't change the subject. If you would fulfil her every wish, would you "marry" me?"

"I know not what that word means."

"You are not stupid, I know you understand the human concept of marriage."

"Are you saying you wish to be my "wife"?"

"I said no such thing."

"You implied it."

"I did not."

"I am a highly regarded demon lord, you are nothing more than a mortal's pet cat."

"Then how painful it must be for you to be in my company. Did you not say that Inuyasha shamed your family name just by associating with me? If that truly is how you feel, you will let me go."

"You will stay until morning."

Kirara sighed softly, her exhaustion making it harder for her to argue with him any longer. She knew it was pointless to try to run away, she was so tired after the events of the day she would never make it; and of course, Sesshomaru could move a lot faster than she could even when she was fully awake and refreshed. And, since she was unable to reason with him, Kirara decided she had no other choice but to comply with his wishes.

With a soft moan of defeat, Kirara curled around on the ground and closed her eyes, praying that Sango and the others would be safe that night.

* * *

Kirara awoke slowly, groaning and blinking to clear the sleep from her eyes. When she saw that the land around her was bright, she panicked, sitting up abruptly. Jaken and Rin had both gone, but Sesshomaru was still sitting in exactly the same position he had been in the night before; and – much to Kirara's chagrin – he was still staring right at her.

"I have to go," she said, standing up slowly.

Kirara groaned quietly as Sesshomaru stood opposite her.

"My friends will be waiting for me, I really must go," she insisted.

"You will stay until Rin returns," Sesshomaru told her.

"No, you must apologise to her for me, I really must go, and I must go now."

Kirara started to walk into the forest, stopping after a few steps as she realised that Sesshomaru was walking parallel to her. She turning to face him fully, finding him staring back at her, as expressionless as ever.

"You will stay," he said calmly.

"No, I will go," Kirara replied, trying to make her tone match his.

"You will stay."

As she looked at him, Kirara began to feel herself becoming dragged into Sesshomaru's eyes again, a sensation that sent her defences into over-drive.

"You cannot, and you will not, hold me against my will!" she said defiantly.

"You will stay," Sesshomaru warned, taking a step towards her.

Despite the subtle change in Sesshomaru's tone suggesting that he was now threatening her, Kirara remained strong.

"Good bye, Lord Sesshomaru," she said decisively.

Kirara turned her back on him and ran into the forest. She expected to feel his claws tearing through her in a matter of seconds, but the blow never came. As she ran, Kirara became increasingly conscious that Sesshomaru's aura appeared to be getting further and further away from her. Skidding to a halt, she turned around, looking back through the trees.

To her absolute shock, Sesshomaru was still standing where she had left him, his head turned in her direction, his eyes watching her leave.

As confused as she was, Kirara did not wait to see why he had allowed her to go. She ran through the trees, not daring to leap or fly, something inside of her enjoying the sensation of running as hard and as fast as she possibly could.

* * *

Inuyasha stood up with a smile, shaking out his silver mane. Kagome stood by his side, facing the now fully risen sun.

"Another night over," he commented.

"Inuyasha, can you sense Kirara yet?" Sango asked, approaching the duo.

"You mean she didn't come back last night?" Kagome asked in disbelief.

"I knew I should have gone!" Inuyasha said. "Even Shippo would have been back by now!"

"Hey!" Shippo protested from a safe distance.

"I hope she's alright," Miroku added. "There are many demons out there, they have all resurfaced since Naraku's disappearance there is a chance she happened across a very powerful demon."

"I'm going back to look for her," Sango said decisively.

"No you're not, you're too slow!" Inuyasha snapped. "I'll go look for her. You all carry on. She can't be too far behind us, I won't be long."

"Let me come with you, Inuyasha," Kagome pleaded.

"No, you all carry on, we'll catch you up," Inuyasha insisted.

Kagome pouted at Inuyasha, but he ignored her, setting off back in the direction they had come. Behind him he heard Sango arguing with the others to allow her to go back, but their voices soon faded as he quickly put a large amount of distance between himself and the others.

Inuyasha did not need to run for long before he caught the faint trace of Kirara's scent. He adjusted his direction slightly, aiming directly for it. However, as Inuyasha grew closer to Kirara's scent he began to grow concerned. Her scent was weak, as if she were unconscious, or even dead. Other scents reached his nose, as he got closer still, including Kirara's own blood.

Slowing down in his confusion, Inuyasha began to sense a small demonic aura. Just as he was trying to figure out what was happening, he sighted two smaller figures moving through the trees. Speeding up again, Inuyasha ran straight up to them, grunting in confusion at what he found.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" he asked.

Jaken scowled up at him, gripping both his hands around his staff possessively.

"Look Master Jaken, it's that man with the dog ears who looks like Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin whispered loudly to Jaken.

"Where's my brother?" Inuyasha asked.

"Far away from you!" Jaken shot back, pointing a finger at Inuyasha.

"Right…" Inuyasha replied slowly, sniffing at the air around Jaken. "Why can I smell Kirara's blood on you?"

Jaken paused thoughtfully, before a slimy smile appeared on his face.

"I ate her," he said. "She didn't taste very good, but I ate her anyway."

"You ate Kirara?" Rin squealed. "But Master Jaken, she was my friend!"

"Huh?" Inuyasha grunted, frowning at Rin.

"Stupid girl!" Jaken sneered at her. "What did you think that was that we all ate for lunch? It was cat meat! We all ate it, and you said you enjoyed it!"

"You fed Kirara to the little girl?" Inuyasha roared.

"It was my Lord's wishes," Jaken plainly replied. "He ordered me to roast her over the fire and serve her for lunch."

Inuyasha growled, lunging forwards and grabbing Jaken up by his clothing. However Inuyasha's anger subsided as Rin began to sob at his side. Inuyasha reluctantly lowered Jaken back to the ground, crouching down in front of Rin.

"Hey kid, how did you know Kirara?" he asked her gently.

"She was my friend," Rin replied.

Inuyasha turned to Jaken expectantly. When the toad remained silent, Inuyasha began to lose his patience.

"What happened, Jaken?" he demanded.

"We ate her," Jaken flatly replied.

Inuyasha paused, wondering if the toad was lying or not. He was not aware that his brother liked to eat other demons, but, he reminded himself, he knew so little about his older brother, he could not dismiss the idea entirely.

"Where's my brother?" he asked, hoping that at least Sesshomaru would give him a straight answer.

"He sent us away," Jaken replied. "He has to kill the dragon demon, it's old and lame. He made me go away with the girl so she wouldn't get upset."

"What?" Rin wailed, rounding on Jaken.

"Don't worry," Jaken assured her. "We won't eat Ah-Un. Its far too old, the meat would be awful."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, growling in frustration.

"I don't have time for this!" he eventually said, standing up and turning back in the direction he had come.

Inuyasha began to run back towards the others.

'Damn,' he thought to himself. 'If my brother really has eaten Kirara, what the hell am I going to tell Sango? She'll kill me!'

Inuyasha shuddered as he pictured Sango attacking him with her Hiraikotsu, her anger burning in her eyes.

"Damn!" he said aloud, before quickening his pace.

* * *

Inuyasha eventually rejoined the others, surprised and slightly annoyed to find them not much further on from where he had left them.

"Hey, where's Sango?" he asked, looking around the others.

"We tried to stop her," Kagome said weakly.

"But she insisted on going back for Kirara," Miroku finished for her.

"Damn!" Inuyasha groaned.

"You didn't find her?" Miroku asked.

"Well…" Inuyasha began, rolling his eyes to the sky as he tried to think of a polite way to tell the others what had become of Kirara.

"You weren't gone very long, are you sure you looked properly, Inuyasha?' Shippo asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"I came back already because my jackass brother has eaten Kirara!" Inuyasha yelled at him. "So unless you want me to go back and get her bones for you, there's not really much else I can do!"

"What?" Kagome squealed. "Sesshomaru ate Kirara?"

Shippo began to wail and sob, causing Inuyasha to growl.

"Are you serious, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, stepping towards him.

"No, he was just playing a cruel joke on Shippo," Kagome said. "It's okay Shippo, Kirara's alright."

"Huh?" Inuyasha grunted, frowning at Kagome as she picked Shippo up and tried to console him.

"Behind you, Inuyasha," Miroku explained, pointing beyond Inuyasha.

Inuyasha spun around, suppressing a sigh of relief as he saw Sango slowly walking towards them, supporting Kirara at her side.

"Kirara, what happened to you?" Miroku asked, walking over to meet them.

"Damn dog…" Kirara replied weakly.

"She hasn't slept all night, I found her walking through the trees," Sango explained. "And she's hurt."

Kirara shook her head as Sango unhooked her arm from her shoulders and began showing her injuries to Miroku.

"It's nothing," Kirara insisted.

Miroku frowned sceptically, rubbing his chin as he inspected the visible injuries Kirara had sustained. Her left forearm was bruised and swollen, her right arm had a series of small, bruised puncture-wounds around her bicep, and her hands and claws had traces of dried blood on them.

"What happened to her?" Miroku asked, turning to Sango.

"I don't know, she won't tell me," Sango replied, casting a glance at Kirara as she spoke.

Inuyasha walked over towards Kirara, eying her over.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked her.

"Of course," Kirara tightly replied.

"What happened to you?"

"Nothing."

"Hm."

"I'm fine."

Kirara took a step away from Sango, attempting to stand up straight, but only managing to stagger around for a bit before finally falling to the ground.

"Keh," Inuyasha snorted.

"Do you know what happened, Inuyasha?" Sango asked him.

"Jaken told me Sesshomaru ate her," Inuyasha bluntly replied. "But she's still alive, so obviously he was lying again."

"Sesshomaru?" Sango echoed.

"Yeah."

Sango paused, before tugging at her haori.

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha yelled at her.

"I'm going after Sesshomaru," Sango replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to do. "And when I return, I will be carrying his head."

"Wait," Miroku intercepted, jumping into Sango's path as she tried to leave in her demon-slayer's attire, clutching her Hiraikotsu at her shoulder. "I think before any of us over-react, we should as least hear Kirara's side of the story."

"Who's over-reacting?" Sango asked, her anger burning in her eyes.

"I agree with Miroku," Inuyasha said.

"What?" Sango yelped, rounding on Inuyasha.

"We don't have time to worry about my jackass brother right now," Inuyasha explained. "Kirara's alive, and we have to keep moving, we have to find Naraku."

"What about Kirara?" Sango asked. "She's not fit to walk!"

"I'll carry her," Inuyasha replied. "Just help me get her up onto my back."

"That's ironic, huh?" Kagome said nervously as Sango eased Kirara's limp form onto Inuyasha's back. "All those times she carried you, and now you're carrying her…"

Miroku narrowed his eyes as he caught an expression of hurt flicker over Kagome's features, but she turned away from the others before he could question it.

"Alright, let's get moving," Miroku said.

* * *

"You will stay."

As she looked at him, Kirara began to feel herself becoming dragged into Sesshomaru's eyes again, a sensation that sent her defences into over-drive.

"You cannot, and you will not, hold me against my will!" she said defiantly.

"You will stay," Sesshomaru warned, taking a step towards her.

Despite the subtle change in Sesshomaru's tone suggesting that he was now threatening her, Kirara remained strong.

"Good bye, Lord Sesshomaru," she said decisively.

Kirara turned her back on him and ran into the forest. She expected to feel his claws tearing through her in a matter of seconds, but the blow never came. As she ran, Kirara became increasingly conscious that Sedsshomaru's aura appeared to be getting further and further away from her. Skidding to a halt, she turned around, looking back through the trees.

To her absolute shock, Sesshomaru was still standing where she had left him, his head turned in her direction, his eyes watching her leave. From under the shade of the trees Kirara did not immediately notice the change in Sesshomaru. His demonic aura suddenly spiked to an all-time high, and Kirara saw his eyes glow red.

Kirara knew she only had a matter of seconds before he would be fully transformed, and he would surely kill her. She had to do something, and fast.

Kirara turned her back on him, and she ran.

"Come back and fight me, you coward," he voice said, sounding suddenly as though he was right next to her.

Kirara jinxed to one side, hoping that if she could not out-run Sesshomaru, she could at least out-smart or out-manoeuvre him. For a brief moment, Kirara lost all traces of his scent and aura, her confidence slowly rising as she came to the conclusion that she had finally managed to escape him.

"Coward!" his voice said suddenly.

Kirara skidded to a halt, almost running right into Sesshomaru in her haste. As she looked up at his face she saw something for more frightening than the red glow of his eyes as his demon form threatened to take over; he was smiling. And not just smiling, he was grinning. She could see almost every tooth in his mouth, but they were not the teeth of his human form, but rather the teeth she had been confronted with the night she had met him in his full demon form.

The thought of fighting back did not even enter Kirara's mind, all she could think about was running away from him and how she was going to do it. Although she was very conscious that she was behaving like a complete coward, Kirara could not stop herself from running, trying her best to escape.

Jumping to one side, she took off at an angle, running away from him again. As she looked up ahead, she saw that she was running back towards the fire they had slept around the previous night, back in the direction she was trying to flee from in the first place. Escaping him was impossible, there was nowhere for her to go, but she could not let him catch her.

Kirara mewed in despair, trying to run faster in the vain hope that she could somehow escape with speed alone, but she hit a tree root and tripped over, flying forwards. She landed hard on the ground, where she felt Sesshomaru's clawed hand grab her and turn her roughly over. The overwhelming scent of dog demon caused Kirara's own demonic spirit to rise on instinct.

"Get away from me, you filthy dog!" she yelled, swiping a clawed hand as him.

"Hey, watch it, would ya Kirara?" a voice yelled back at her.

"No, let me go!" Kirara moaned.

"Kirara!" another voice called.

"Sango?" Kirara said, the cold damp forest and Sesshomaru's blood-red eyes fading from her mind at the sound of her best friend's voice.

"Kirara, wake up!" Sango said.

"Sango!"

Kirara opened her eyes, inhaling sharply. She frowned as she found herself lying on the ground on her back, Inuyasha hunched over her, pinning her arms down at either side of her head.

"Nightmares, Kirara?" Inuyasha sneered. "Next time your having a dream about fighting, watch where you're aiming your claws!"

Inuyasha released her arms, lowering his haori at one side to reveal where her claws had pierced through to his skin.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha!" she hurriedly said, sitting up.

"Spare me," Inuyasha grumbled. "So, you wanna tell us what happened to you? I thought you were going back to Kaede's hut to get some antidote."

"I was," Kirara agreed.

"So why have you come back without it?" Inuyasha asked. "And why did it take you so long to fail at such a simple task?"

"Inuyasha!" Sango yelled. "Leave her alone!"

"No, he's right," Kirara admitted with a sigh. "I collected the antidotes, but I lost them on my way back, I got side-tracked by a demon."

"We guessed as much," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Oh," Kirara muttered, hanging her head.

"So what happened this time?" Inuyasha asked.

"I found Rin, and I mistook her for a lost orphan in need of my help," Kirara replied.

"What's a "rin"?" Inuyasha asked, scrunching up his nose in confusion.

"The little mortal girl who travels with Lord Sesshomaru?" Kirara said, lifting her head.

"Oh, right," Inuyasha casually remarked.

"Hm," Kirara muttered, lifting up her left wrist to look at the bedraggled flowers that still hung there.

"I wanted to go back and chop off his head Kirara, but the others wouldn't let me," Sango interjected.

"Are you gonna tell us what happened or not, Kirara?" Inuyasha barked impatiently.

"I ran away from him again, and I lost the antidotes," Kirara replied, deciding the exact details of her encounter with the dog demon were not really something she wished to share with anyone. "But there is still one bottle of antidote at Kaede's. I only took two. I left one in case of… In case someone was stupid enough to lose the other two…"

Kirara hung her head again.

"How did you get those injuries?" Sango asked, pointing at the bruising on Kirara's arms.

"Jaken," Kirara flatly replied.

"You got beat up by that little toad?" Kagome blurted.

Kirara stood abruptly, glowering down at Kagome.

"Come on, let's just forget about it and move on," Inuyasha said, standing up between them.

Kirara nodded slowly.

"Would you like me to transform so that I can carry you all?" she offered.

"Don't be stupid, Kirara," Inuyasha answered before anyone else could.

"Thanks, Inuyasha," Kirara said, seeing through the apparent insult to the compliment that lay beneath.

Kirara glanced over her shoulder to ensure Kagome was watching her before linking her arm through Inuyasha's and leading him on ahead of the others. Behind her she heard Kagome let out an indignant squeak, bringing a smirk to her face.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** When Inuyasha and Kirara start to get very close, Kagome becomes jealous and threatens to leave the group. Why then does Kirara think Kagome's response is so amusing? **Chapter 10 – Kagome's Lesson**.


	10. Kagome's Lesson

**Recap:** Kirara ran away from Sesshomaru to return to her friends without the needed antidotes. Kagome became annoyed at the exchanges between Inuyasha and Kirara.

* * *

 **Chapter 10 – Kagome's Lesson**

After a long day of travelling, Sango was glad to sit down by a fire and enjoy some food. She was so tired, she hoped the others would agree to just set up camp and sleep. They were still no closer to finding Naraku or the sacred jewel, and after the stress of almost losing her best friend, Sango was nothing short of exhausted.

"Sango?" Miroku whispered, shuffling closer to her.

"Yes, Miroku?" she responded, shifting her eyes to him.

"Do you see what I see?" Miroku asked, moving his eyes from Sango's to look across the fire.

Sango copied his action, frowning at what she saw. Inuyasha and Kirara were sitting very close together, talking and laughing between themselves. Beyond Kirara's shoulder, Sango could see Kagome sitting back from the group, moodily stabbing at her food with her chopsticks, her eyes glaring at the back of Kirara's head.

"Do you think I should say something to Kirara?" Sango whispered to Miroku.

"Not right now," Miroku replied. "But maybe in the morning. I'll speak to Inuyasha if you speak to Kirara."

"Okay."

Sango turned her attention back to Inuyasha and Kirara, unable to hide her confusion from forming a frown on her face. Surely there was nothing going on between Inuyasha and Kirara? Kirara had made it quite clear that cat demons and dog demons hated each other, so on Kirara's part, she could not understand why she could develop feeling for Inuyasha. And on Inuyasha's part, Sango had always believed that Inuyasha's heart was preoccupied with Kikyo and Kagome.

But, she thought to herself, if there was something developing between Inuyasha and Kagome, it could well mean trouble for them all.

* * *

Sango woke a little before sunrise, looking around herself in a daze. Something had awoken her, but she could not be sure what. She felt sure someone had been looking at her, but everyone appeared to be asleep. Miroku was sleeping by her feet, Shippo was sleeping by her head, and at the other side of the dying fire, Inuyasha was dozing in his usual sitting position, with Kirara curled up on the ground at his side, her head resting on his knee.

Sango slowly moved her eyes beyond Kirara, finding Kagome lying awake, staring at Inuyasha and Kirara.

Sango closed her eyes and put her head down again, deciding to pretend that she had gone back to sleep. Things were not looking too good.

But, as hard as she tried, Sango could not get back to sleep. Instead she lay awake, her eyes closed as she feigned sleep, her mind racing. Becoming lost in her thoughts, she eventually came to the conclusion that Kirara's interactions with Inuyasha could only mean one of two things: either she genuinely had developed feeling for him, or she was doing it to get at someone else.

Thinking more about the situation, Sango began to think back to all the times she had confided her secrets to what she had thought was her pet cat. Could Kirara remember everything that she had ever said? And moreover, Kirara certainly had a bold personality, why had she never noticed it before? Had Kirara lost part of her personality when she fell under Midoriko's spell, or was it just that, without words, she had been unable to express herself before now?

As Sango debated the issue in her mind, she began to realise that there were many things she did not yet know about Kirara, questions she should have asked her when she first gained her human form. Sango decided that, once she and Miroku had sorted out what was happening between Kirara and Inuyasha, she would make a conscious effort to get to know Kirara better. Kirara knew everything about her she had spent most of her life talking at her, now it was time for her to listen.

* * *

"Did you sleep well, Kirara?" Sango asked, moving over to her friend's side as the gang readied themselves to commence their journey once more.

"Yes," Kirara vaguely replied, looking down at her arms with a small smile.

"Your wounds are all healed, that's good," Sango said.

"Yes, my strength had been fully restored," Kirara said with a smile.

"So…" Sango began as the group started to walk on. "What did happen to you when you went back for the antidotes?"

"I got side-tracked."

"Yes. You met Sesshomaru again?"

Kirara paused, her face flinching before she answered.

"Yes," she eventually said. "And he was as rude and horrid as ever. Not at all like his younger brother…"

Sango watched Kirara smile at Inuyasha, deciding that this served as an ideal opportunity for her to discuss Kirara's relationship with the half-demon.

"About Inuyasha," she began. "You and him seem very close?"

"We are all friends, aren't we?" Kirara asked innocently, moving her eyes back to Sango as she spoke.

"Of course," Sango replied. "But at times it seems like you and Inuyasha are more than just friends."

Kirara smiled coyly.

"Does it?" she asked.

"Yes, it does," Sango replied. "Are you more than just friends?"

"Perhaps," Kirara said enigmatically.

"Kirara, I hope you know what you're doing," Sango warned her.

"Do you trust me, Sango?" Kirara asked, turning her head towards Sango.

"Of course I do–"

"Alright then."

Sango yelped as Kirara quickened her pace, falling into step with Inuyasha, leaving her behind.

"Well?" Miroku asked, stepping back to walk alongside Sango.

"I don't understand it," Sango replied with a sigh.

"Oh Sango, don't worry yourself too much about it," Miroku casually replied, his hand moving towards her as he spoke.

"Don't even think about it, Miroku," Sango warned him.

"Think about what?" Miroku asked as his hand smoothed over the curve of Sango's rear-end.

The others turned their heads with a frown as a loud cracking noise resounded behind them, finding Sango looking furious and Miroku sporting a red handprint on one cheek.

"Does he never learn?" Shippo asked anyone who cared to listen.

"Oh look, a river!" Kirara called out. "We can catch some fresh fish."

The others nodded their agreement, and the gang turned off of the path, heading down the bank to where the river ran. As they neared the water's edge, Kirara sped up, running into the water hard, splashing water everywhere.

"Kirara!" Sango blurted, reaching an arm up to shield herself from the splashes of water.

"Suddenly that woman has become…" Miroku began, his face dropping as he spoke. "Somewhat less attractive…"

"Oh, Kirara!" Sango groaned, before burying her face in her hands.

Kirara ignored both Miroku and Sango, continuing to dunk her head under the water in search of fish. Even Inuyasha recoiled when she surfaced with a large fish lodged between her jaws and a positively feral look of delight dancing across her bright green eyes.

"Weird," Kagome muttered.

"Hey Inuyasha, don't you want to join me?" she called to Inuyasha.

Kagome yelped as Kirara threw her latest catch at her, hitting her across the face with it.

"Wow, I want this one!" Shippo chirped, grabbing the fish as it fell from Kagome's face.

Kagome growled, her face reddening as she turned to Kirara.

"I swear, if the water wasn't so deep, I'd go in there and show her a thing or two…" she muttered under her breath.

"Can you catch fish like Kirara too, Kagome?" Shippo asked, his demon ears picking up her every word.

"Why would I even want to?" Kagome snapped.

Shippo shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"That's the way Kirara has always caught fish," he pointed out.

Sango, having heard Shippo's last remark, made a small noise of realisation in the back of her throat, lifting her face from her hands.

"Kirara!" she called to her friend. "You don't have to fish like a cat any more! You can use your hands now!"

Kirara held her hands out in front of herself, turning her palms upwards and studying them carefully.

"Fish with my hands?" she said slowly.

"Yes," Sango and Miroku replied in unison.

"But that's no fun!" Kirara called back, frowning at them as though they had gone mad.

Sango groaned in frustration and Kagome growled as both Shippo and Inuyasha ran into the water. Shippo began trying to emulate the fire-cat demon he was so fond of, dunking his head under the water at the first flash of sunlight reflecting off the scales of a fish. Being so small, Shippo was knocked off balance by the current, tumbling over under water as the river began to drag him downstream.

"Shippo!" Inuyasha groaned, grabbing a hand into the water.

"Ow!" Shippo wailed as Inuyasha lifted him out by the tail. "Couldn't you have found a less painful way to save me?"

"Stay outta my way, Shippo!" Inuyasha gruffly replied, wading over to the bank and dropping Shippo down by the water's edge.

"No fair!" Shippo whimpered as he turned around to sit down facing the cat and the dog.

"Inuyasha does have a point, Shippo," Kirara called over to him. "It's not safe for you. Stay there with Kagome where you're safe."

Kagome began to grumble at the reference made to her, folding her arms and turning her head to one side. Sango and Miroku exchanged looks of confusion and worry; but, once again, Shippo's ultra-sensitive demon ears heard every word Kagome uttered.

"But Kagome, why would Kirara want to stick her head up there?" he asked her.

Kagome's face turned scarlet, but she remained quiet. Sango and Miroku both stared at Kagome in shock, before turning, in unison, to Kirara. Kirara was standing watching Kagome, the smallest trace of a smile just visible on her lips.

"Inuyasha," she said slyly. "I'm going to make you wet…"

Kagome turned her head sharply, the bright red colour draining from her face as she turned deathly pale.

"What are you talking about, you crazy cat?" Inuyasha sneered, eying Kirara over sceptically.

"This!" Kirara replied, launching herself at Inuyasha.

"Ki–"

Inuyasha's voice was cut off as Kirara collided with him, sending him flying backwards, where he landed hard across the surface of the water, sending waves of water over both banks. Once under the surface of the water, Inuyasha quickly tore Kirara off of him, clawing his way to the surface, where he stood abruptly, thigh-deep in water, his long silver hair plastered to the sides of his face and his clothing drenched and clinging to his frame.

"What's gotten into you, Kirara?" he barked as she shot out of the water next to him.

"Oh, lighten up, Inuyasha!" Kirara laughed, chopping one hand into the water and splashing him.

Inuyasha closed his eyes, baring his fangs as he growled indignantly, the water dripping from his hair and face.

"It's fun," Kirara added.

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha grunted. "Let's see how much fun you think it is if I do this!"

Inuyasha shoved the heel of one hand into Kirara's shoulder, causing her to stumble and lose her balance. As she lifted one leg slightly, Inuyasha grabbed his hand under the water, grabbing the back of her knee and lifting upwards. She barely had time to let out a mew of alarm before she had hit the water hard, creating another large splash like Inuyasha's body had done.

"Hey you're right, Kirara," Inuyasha said smugly as she resurfaced. "This is fun!"

Kirara speared Inuyasha's mid-section, but he was prepared for her attack, and he quickly spun around, pushing her under the water beneath him. As the duo continued to frolic in the water, Sango and Miroku were left mulling over what to do next; Kagome was still standing stiffly, glaring out at Kirara, her face twisted with repressed emotions.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Sango called to her.

"If you still had Kirara, I'd ask to borrow her right now," Kagome darkly replied. "But since I can't do that, and we're too far from the well for me to cycle back on my own, I suppose I can't go home just yet. But as soon as I get the chance, I'm leaving."

Sango turned to Miroku, glad to see that he was as alarmed as she was by Kagome's threat.

* * *

Kirara quietly thanked Sango as she handed her a fire-roasted fish. Kirara sat quietly down by Sango's side, biting into her meal. Sango glanced between Kirara, Inuyasha – who was perched up in a tree once more – and Kagome, who was sitting far away from the group, diligently poring over her schoolbooks.

"Kirara," Sango began slowly. "What exactly were you thinking, playing around with Inuyasha like that earlier?"

"I was having fun," Kirara replied through a mouthful of food.

"Kirara, surely you know Kagome has feelings for Inuyasha?" Sango pointed out.

"Oh I know. I intend to draw them out."

"What?"

"Trust me."

Sango faltered, a small part of her screaming inside. Somehow, whenever Kirara said the words "trust me", Sango knew it only meant more trouble. And, moreover, Sango had finally decided on exactly why Kirara was acting up; she had not yet decided on a way to broach the subject, however. But, she thought to herself, since Kirara was so candid with all her thoughts, opinions and feelings, surely Kirara would appreciate it if her best friend told her exactly what was on her mind.

"It won't work," Sango said, trying to sound firm in her convictions.

"On the contrary, I think it is working already," Kirara calmly replied.

"All you are going to do is get Kagome angry and jealous!" Sango pointed out.

"I think that has already happened."

Sango frowned, pausing for a moment as she tried to find the logic in Kirara's calm response.

"Don't you care that Kagome is upset?" she eventually asked.

"Don't worry, I don't want to really upset her, just a little," Kirara calmly replied.

"You want to upset Kagome?" Sango echoed. "That is your intention?"

"Yes. What else would it be?"

"Wait, why do you want to upset her?"

"Because, just like you, Miroku and even Shippo, I am tired of watching her wasting her own time and everyone else's. She needs to learn to just come out and say what she thinks and how she feels."

"You're doing this because you think it will make her tell Inuyasha how she feels about him?"

"Exactly. Wait, why did you think I was doing this?"

Sango gulped quietly as she saw the confused look on Kirara's face, wondering if she should dare tell her what she really thought.

"Sango?" Kirara pressed.

"Alright, I thought maybe you were doing it to anger Sesshomaru," Sango confessed. "I know how much you hate him, and I remember you saying he told you he was ashamed of Inuyasha for associating with you."

Kirara laughed, much to Sango's relief.

"I thought you might be angry with me for thinking that," Sango added.

"No, I just think it's rather funny that you believe I would give Lord Sesshomaru so much thought," Kirara replied.

"Oh good!" Sango gushed. "And now you promise you won't take this thing with Inuyasha too far?"

"Of course."

"Good."

* * *

Later that day, as the sun began to sink low in the sky, the group took a break, having still found no clue as to where Naraku was hiding. Inuyasha climbed up a tree and sat alone, Miroku and Sango sat together, Shippo sat under a tree drawing with the new box of crayons Kagome had given him, leaving Kirara and Kagome alone together.

"Inuyasha is very quiet, isn't he?" Kirara commented, walking over to where Kagome sat on the ground.

"He wasn't quiet earlier," Kagome moodily replied. "He sure had plenty to say to you."

Kirara suppressed the urge to grin, turning to glance at Inuyasha up the tree.

"It's very hard for Inuyasha to express his deepest feelings," she said slowly, turning back to Kagome again.

"Oh?" Kagome responded her sarcasm barely concealed.

"Yes," Kirara continued. "All his life he had been alone, and any displays of emotion were seen as a weakness. Sometimes he can't always say what he means, so he just gets angry. And it is not that he is angry with anyone else, he is just frustrated within himself, because he doesn't know how to say how he feels or what he is thinking."

Kagome lifted her head, turning to Kirara with a frown.

"What are you getting at?" she asked, her interest peaked at last.

"Kagome, Inuyasha has a very passionate heart," Kirara explained. "He gets passionately angry, but he could also be passionately in love. He expresses himself the only way he knows how."

"You mean he starts beating up Shippo," Kagome offered.

"Usually, yes," Kirara replied with a small smile. "But it's important to remember that Inuyasha needs a little patience from us all."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning the next time you have a silly argument with him over Koga, or something equally as pointless, and Inuyasha starts shouting and bawling, don't tell him to sit."

"What? Why not? It's the only thing that stops him!"

"I believe if you give a little, you can receive a little in return. Give Inuyasha freedom to express himself, and you might find something good comes of it."

Kagome frowned up at Kirara, still looking less than convinced by her words.

"And Kagome?" Kirara said, turning to meet her eyes.

"Yes?" Kagome responded.

"Just tell him how you feel," Kirara bluntly replied, ignoring the red colour than instantly flushed Kagome's cheeks. "Trust me, it's the best thing to do."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Inuyasha and I are just friends–"

"Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"You're not convincing me with that lie, so I must assume you say it only to reassure yourself. Be honest with yourself. And be honest with those you love. Trust me."

Kagome's face turned slightly red again, and she eyed Kirara over angrily at the accusation, her expression suggesting that she thought Kirara was the last person anyone should trust.

"I preferred you when you were a cute, cuddly little cat," Kagome said flatly, wiping off her hands and rising to her feet.

"And I believe you," Kirara replied.

"I was being serious," Kagome said. "I'm going to do what you've suggested, but not because you told me to do it, just because I want to prove to you that you're wrong. Watch me."

"I assure you I shall," Kirara said, bowing as Kagome walked past her.

Kirara lifted one hand to cover the grin that appeared on her face as she watched Kagome approach the foot of the tree Inuyasha was perched in. This, Kirara thought to herself, was just one more reason why she was so glad Sango had been the one to break the spell. Kirara dearly loved both Inuyasha and Kagome, and she had always hoped that they would be together one day. But, over time, she had watched as obstacle after obstacle made things more difficult for them, the winds of fate forcing them apart more often than it blew them together.

But, Kirara thought to herself, that was all about to change. Kirara had felt it was important for her to help Kagome, as Kagome was, in many ways, just like her old friend Midoriko had been, and not just in her immense spiritual powers. Kirara had watched Midoriko live a lonely life, and she did not want the same for Kagome, especially when it was so obvious that Kagome was in love with Inuyasha. And likewise, Kirara had felt Inuyasha's pain, the isolation he had felt growing up in a world where he was accepted by neither humans nor demons. In particular, Kirara had watched Inuyasha suffer inwardly when he was confronted with the half-demon child Shiori. Inuyasha had handled the whole situation with a sense of mind and sense of heart that Kirara had never thought she would see in most humans pure of soul, least of all a rough and ready half-demon like Inuyasha.

And, Kirara thought to herself, Inuyasha's ability to handle that situation, as well as many others she had watched him work through, had doubtlessly been helped along by Kagome's influence in his life; which was just one more reason why the two belonged together.

"You look pleased with yourself," Sango whispered, poking Kirara in the elbow as she joined her at her side. "Did your crazy little plan work?"

"I don't know yet," Kirara confessed. "But we will soon find out."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Kagome tells Inuyasha how she truly feels about him, but will she get the reaction that she wants? Kirara plays cupid again, and the gang get an unusual surprise… **Chapter 11 – Inuyasha's Heart**.


	11. Inuyasha's Heart

**Recap:** Kirara convinced Kagome to tell Inuyasha how she feels about him... Ho-hum, not much happened last time, did it?!

* * *

 **Chapter 11 – Inuyasha's Heart**

Inuyasha frowned, tilting his head to one side as he watched Kagome's back. He had no idea what she was about to tell him, but obviously it was something very important. For a start, she had insisted on taking him away – very far away, he noted – from the others, suggesting that whatever she had to say was strictly for his ears only. Secondly, ignoring that fact that he could smell her anxiety, any idiot could see that she was visibly trembling, even from the distance Inuyasha stood at.

"Inuyasha, there is something I need to tell you," she began, her voice shaking slightly as she spoke.

"Yeah, I figured as much," Inuyasha grumbled. "So what is it?"

Inuyasha started to walk closer to Kagome.

"No!" she yelped suddenly, without turning round or looking back at him. "Don't come any closer!"

Inuyasha stopped abruptly, screwing up his face in confusion.

"Just… Stay there for now," Kagome said softly, her back still turned to him.

"Fine," Inuyasha quietly agreed.

"Inuyasha, I…" Kagome began slowly. "I just wanted you to know that I… I love you."

Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up. Were it not for his heightened sense of hearing, he was certain he would not have heard the last three words that Kagome spoke. Taking into account the volume she had spoken them, the tone of her voice, and the distinct change in her scent from apprehension to shyness and a hint of shame, Inuyasha knew he would have to word his response very carefully.

"What the hell are talking about, Kagome?" he barked.

Kagome stiffened, her fingers splaying at her sides at the harshness and suddenness of his tone and words.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

"Yes, Inuyasha, I feel just fine," Kagome growled in reply.

"You brought me out here to tell me that?" he continued. "That's not funny you know, Kagome!"

"Inuyasha?"

"What now?"

"Sit boy."

Inuyasha wailed in despair as he was sent crashing to the ground. As he lay quivering, still debilitated by the effects of the spell, Kagome stepped over him, walking back towards the others, her nose turned upwards haughtily.

As the others came into her line of vision, Kagome saw Kirara grinning at her expectantly. Kagome began to seethe in anger at the sight of the gormless, grinning cat demon, biting back the overwhelming urge to run up to her and pull her stupid two-coloured hair out of her stupid, clumsy, annoying, loud-mouthed little head.

"Well?" Kirara greeted her.

"We're going back to Kaede's village," Kagomne smoothly replied.

"We are?" Kirara asked. "For the antidote?"

"No."

"Oh. Why then?"

"I'm going to get Kaede to make me another set of beads, like the ones she made for Inuyasha."

"Huh?"

"And then I can "sit" you to oblivion!"

Sango and Miroku ran forwards as Kagome began to swipe at Kirara.

"Whoa!" Miroku said, leaping between the two, having reached them slightly ahead of Sango. "I don't want to see you two ladies fighting. The last thing I want is for the two of you to tear at each other's clothes, your bodies pressed together as you start to perspire–"

Miroku's voice was cut off as one edge of Sango's Hiraikotsu thumped onto the top of his head, causing him to stagger around, before dropping to his knees, his head spinning as he touched a hand to the rapidly forming lump left on his head. Shippo hopped over to him, studying him curiously as his head slowly stopped spinning.

"It was worth it," Miroku said dreamily.

"Huh?" Shippo echoed, his face twisting in confusion and disbelief.

"It's getting late," Sango said, glancing back and forth between Kagome and Kirara. "Let's all just set up camp and get some sleep. We can rise early tomorrow, and we can discuss our problems then, when we are all thinking clearly and sensibly. Alright?"

"Sure," Kirara agreed with a nod of her head.

"That's if you wake up tomorrow morning, Kirara…" Kagome said in a low voice laced with tones of malice.

Sango cast her a warning glare, but Kagome ignored her, her eyes still fixed on the fire-cat.

"I miss my catnaps, sleep seems like the perfect idea right now," Kirara said through a wide-mouthed yawn, stretching her arms above her head.

Kagome growled, sounding alarmingly like Inuyasha as she did so.

"We'll discuss it in the morning," Sango hurriedly whispered to her.

"Morning…" Kagome growled, her eyes thinning to deep brown slits as she watched Kirara curl up by the base of a tree, Shippo lying down next to her to use her ankles as a pillow.

Kagome muttered something else that failed to reach Sango's ears, before storming over to her bag and tearing it open to retrieve her sleeping bag. Sango slowly walked away, watching Kagome so intently, she did not see where she was sitting, yelping in alarm as she sat on something that moved beneath her.

"Miroku!" she snapped, backhanding him away from her.

As the monk tried to blame the curse of his hand for his anti-social behaviour, Sango settled down, turning her back on Kagome, as she could no longer bear to watch her fight with the apparently broken zip on her sleeping bag.

* * *

Inuyasha grunted, his ears and nose twitching as he stirred from his slumber. At first, he thought he could sense Sesshomaru; but as he opened his eyes and inhaled more deeply, he recognised the scent as that of Kirara's.

"Hey," he called to her as she began to scale the tree towards him. "What do you want?"

"To talk to you," she called back.

"It's the middle of the night," Inuyasha moodily replied. "Go back to sleep."

"No."

Inuyasha sighed, an impending sense of doom bearing down upon him as Kirara reached his side.

"Move over," she said, waving a hand at him.

"You move," Inuyasha grumbled.

Kirara paused, studying the branch beyond where Inuyasha sat. After a short moment spent assessing the situation, she stepped forwards, aiming to step over him. Misjudging the length of her stride, the back of Kirara's heel caught of Inuyasha's thigh, and she slipped as she tried to compensate. With a groan, Inuyasha caught her on his lap before she fell, roughly depositing her onto the space next to him on the branch.

"What is wrong with you?" he snarled, his face tinged with pink.

"It's been so long since I had the use of this body, it will take me some time to remember its limitations," Kirara explained.

"Stupid," Inuyasha muttered.

Kirara smiled, turning her head to look directly at him.

"Quit staring at me!" he snapped. "And what do you want, anyway? Couldn't you have waited until morning?"

"Kagome will be awake in the morning," Kirara simply replied. "And I need to speak to you alone."

"Oh yeah? Well maybe I don't wanna speak to you. Maybe I just wanna sleep right now!"

"Oh, Inuyasha."

"Don't talk to me like that!"

"Why not?"

"You make it sound like I'm stupid!"

"But you are, Inuyasha."

"What?"

Inuyasha leapt to his feet, sending a vibration down the branch that almost made Kirara fall off. As she stabilised herself, Kirara looked back up at Inuyasha, smiling as she saw the infuriated look flashing across his amber eyes.

"You are stupid, Inuyasha," she continued. "Or at least you must be. Because only an idiot wouldn't know true love when he sees it."

"What?"

Inuyasha faltered, his expression slipping into one of confusion.

"Even you're not that stupid, Inuyasha," Kirara said slyly. "You know exactly what I'm talking about…"

"No I don't!" Inuyasha argued, his face turning red and his expression looking more guilty and childlike with every passing second.

"Kagome?" Kirara said slowly. "What exactly did you say to her earlier? She's really upset."

"What? I didn't say anything!"

"Really? That's odd, because she's really, really mad! What did she say to you?"

"Nothing!"

Kirara slowly stood up, carefully balancing herself on the branch to put herself on eye level with Inuyasha.

"She said nothing?" she asked.

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied, his voice starting to squeak slightly in his awkwardness.

"Then why did she take you away from us all, telling you that she had to tell you something very important?"

"I don't know!"

"Inuyasha…"

"I don't know what you're talking about–"

"Inuyasha, I know you have feelings for Kagome–"

"What?"

"I've watched you both over time, and the only thing that stops the love–"

"Huh?"

"–between you both from being perfect is your inability to show a little emotion."

"Hey!"

"I know you love her–"

"What?"

"–just as much as she loves you–"

"Huh?"

"–so just be a man–"

"Hey!"

"–and tell her how you feel."

"What?"

Kirara growled lightly, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"Inuyasha…" she said, waggling a finger at him. "Promise me you will at least talk to Kagome."

"Fine, but it's not like I've anything even got to say to her anyway…"

"Inuyasha…"

"Fine! I'll talk to her in the morning! Can I go back to sleep now?"

Kirara nodded, smiling sweetly at Inuyasha before slipping past him. Inuyasha opened his mouth to warn her to be careful where she put her foot next, but before any words could leave his mouth, Kirara had already fallen off the tree, crashing into almost every branch on the way down, before landing in a pile at the foot of the tree.

"That'll teach you not to go meddling in my business, Kirara!" he yelled down to her.

Kirara groaned, smiling in spite of her injuries. Her plan, it seemed, had worked after all.

* * *

Kirara watched from a safe distance as Kagome rolled up her sleeping bag and stuffed it into her big yellow bag. By the hardened expression on Kagome's face, Kirara deduced that she was obviously still angry at Inuyasha for whatever insensitive thing he had said to her when she had confessed her true feelings, and she was also more than likely still angry with Kirara herself for instigating the whole process.

But, Kirara thought, if her plan worked, suffering Kagome's hate for a few days would have been worth it.

"Are we ready to move on?" Sango asked, slinging her Hiraikotsu over her shoulder.

"No," Miroku said, stepping forwards. "Inuyasha hasn't returned yet."

"Let's just leave without him," Kagome said darkly. "After the way he spoke to me yesterday, I ought to be back home right now. The only thing stopping me is that Kirara isn't a cat any more, and she can't take me back."

'More like I won't take you back,' Kirara thought with a grin.

"Maybe you should go talk to him, Kagome," Miroku suggested. "You are the best person to bring him back to his senses."

"Oh yeah?" Kagome spat. "What makes you think that?"

"Because, if all else fails, you can use the "sit" command to bring him down out of whatever tree he is hiding in," Miroku bluntly replied.

"Good idea," Kagome said, a devious smirk appearing on her face.

Kagome set off in the direction Inuyasha had headed the night before, leaving the others behind.

"Let's follow her, and spy on them!" Shippo whispered, leaping up onto Kirara's shoulder.

"We can't do that," Sango said sharply, turning to face the two demons. "It would be wrong. We should let them be together to… Where did… Miroku!"

Sango groaned in defeat as she saw Miroku disappear in the same direction Kagome had just walked.

"Come on, Sango," Kirara said cheerfully as she walked past her friend, still carrying Shippo on her shoulder. "There is some thick undergrowth near the tree Inuyasha slept in, we can hide perfectly well there."

"We really shouldn't be doing this…" Sango said slowly.

"Then you stay here," Kirara called back over her shoulder.

"I'm not missing this!"

Kirara and Shippo exchanged amused grins as Sango ran after them. All four regrouped behind a particularly leafy bush, carefully concealing themselves from view and watching on as Kagome approached the tree Inuyasha was still stubbornly sat in.

"Inuyasha, we're leaving now," she called up to him.

Inuyasha obediently dropped down from the tree, standing in front of Kagome. Kagome turned her back on him, her shoulders moving as she let out a deep, yet muted, sigh.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha said.

"Yeah?" Kagome asked, without turning round.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked.

Kagome's face twisted, and her four friends winced in anticipation of another "sit" command; but it never came.

"A little," Kagome said tightly. "But I guess you can't help it if you're a total jerk."

Inuyasha started at her insult, his face twisting into a scowl. He opened his mouth, pointing a clawed finger at the back of her head; but his expression changed, and he closed his mouth before saying anything, lowering his finger away from her again.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"Huh?" Kagome echoed, spinning around to face him.

"Ah, don't look at me like that!" he said irritably, folding his arms and turning his head to one side.

Kagome slowly lowered her eyes to her feet, leaving the two standing facing each other, yet avoiding each other's eyes.

"And I…" Inuyasha began quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Wow!" Kagome blurted, her head snapping back as she looked up at him. "I didn't expect you to apologise!"

"Well I did, so shut-up about it already!" Inuyasha barked, watching her from the corner of his eye.

"I'm sorry too, Inuyasha," Kagome offered.

"Huh?" Inuyasha responded, turning his head to look directly at her. "What are you apologising for?"

"Not always understanding you when I should have," she said softly, touching a finger to the beads around his neck.

"Oh…" Inuyasha mumbled, his face turning slightly pink as he realised just how close he was to Kagome.

"I promise I'll try not to use the "S" word," Kagome said, lifting her eyes to his.

Inuyasha hesitated, blinking repeatedly as he tried to formulate a reply in his mind.

"And I promise I won't be such a jerk?" he tried.

"Oh, Inuyasha!" Kagome said, throwing her around his shoulders and hugging him.

Inuyasha squeaked awkwardly, and Kagome quickly released him, turning away to blush profusely. Inuyasha gulped, stealing glances at Kagome as he tried to cool down his own reddening cheeks.

"Well, the others will be waiting for us!" Kagome said brightly.

"Yeah, we should go," Inuyasha said decisively.

"Right," Kagome agreed.

Kagome took a step forwards, stopping abruptly as she felt something brush against her hand. She turned her head to look at Inuyasha, but he turned his head away from her. She turned her head away again, gasping as Inuyasha took hold of her hand in his. Although the sensation was not new to her – she had held his hand before – it was the first time he had made such tender gesture towards her. The only other time she could remember him doing anything so romantic had been the time he had hugged her; but that had been a mere rouse to steal the shards of the sacred jewel from her, and he had promptly shoved her aside once he had achieved his objective.

With a small, shy smile, Kagome curled her fingers around Inuyasha's hand, and the two began to walk back towards the area the others had camped the night before.

"Yay!" Shippo cried.

Miroku, Sango and Kirara all turned to him, their eyes large in horrified shock at his loud outburst. Shippo hurriedly clapped both hands over his mouth, saying a small, muffled "oops" as he did so; but it was too late. Inuyasha had heard Shippo, and was almost upon them already, having left Kagome – and their shared, tender moment – far behind him.

"How long have you all been hiding back there spying on me?" he roared, ripping apart the bush that stood between them.

"It's okay Inuyasha, we didn't hear you apologise to Kagome," Shippo said. "Oops…"

Kirara growled, waving a clenched fist at Shippo's head threateningly.

"You…" Inuyasha snarled, his anger rising.

"But we definitely didn't hear you promise not to be a jerk," Shippo added. "Which would have been funny if we had, because you called yourself a jerk!"

"Shippo!" Miroku and Sango yelled at him.

"Oops!" Shippo yelped, shrinking back from the others.

Inuyasha growled, grabbing forwards with both hands. Miroku and Kirara leapt back, narrowly escaping being hit. Sango dropped down low to the ground and Shippo ran towards Kagome. As he neared her, Shippo realised that Kagome was not about to give him any sympathy, and so he ran back to Kirara, leaping onto her shoulders and wrapping his arms around her neck to hold onto her.

Kagome giggled to herself as she watched Inuyasha pounce at each of their friends, cursing their names as they dodged his every blow. As she was watching them, Kagome heard a faint whistling sound, one that she did not recognise until an arrow sparkling with spiritual energy had shot past her.

"Inuyasha!" she cried.

"Huh?" Inuyasha responded.

Inuyasha jerked back, the arrow soaring past his chest, barely missing him. The others turned to stare at the arrow as it embedded itself into a nearby tree with a dull thud.

"Step away from the humans, demon!" a voice called out.

Kagome turned, finding a priestess aiming an arrow at Inuyasha.

"No, wait!" she pleaded, hurrying over to the woman. "He's our friend!"

"He is trying to hurt the woman and the monk," the priestess calmly replied. "And those other two, they are demons too."

"Bu we're all friends, honestly!" Kagome insisted.

"These are not the three demons I seek," the priestess said thoughtfully, lowering her weapon.

"You seek three specific demons?" Miroku asked, making his way over to her.

"Yes," she solemnly replied. "They were headed west of here. One appeared as a young man, and he had a terrible demonic aura, one that darkened the skies with its evil."

Sango and Kirara turned to each other, each knowing what the other was thinking without either needing to speak their thoughts.

"Naraku," Inuyasha said, walking over to join Kagome.

"He travelled with a female demon, a woman with red eyes who controlled the wind with her sorcery," the priestess continued.

"Kagura," Sango muttered, starting towards the priestess.

"And there was a smaller demon, short in stature, bearing a deadly weapon," the priestess added.

"Kanna," Shippo piped up from Kirara's shoulder.

"And they headed west, you said?" Miroku asked.

"Yes," the priestess confirmed. "I sought to hunt them down, but they have moved too far and too fast. I have been travelling in the hope of spreading the warning that they are moving towards another large village."

"No problem, we're looking for them too," Inuyasha said. "We'll stop them for you, Priestess."

The priestess eyed Inuyasha over, quirking an eyebrow critically at him.

"Thank you for the information," Miroku said to the priestess, bowing his head politely. "May I just ask one more important question of you?"

"Certainly, Monk," she replied.

Miroku walked up to her, taking her hand in both of his.

"Would you consider bearing my first born child?" he asked.

Sango growled, her face filling with colour as her anger boiled beneath the surface of her skin.

"Come on, Miroku!" Inuyasha groaned. "We don't have time for that now!"

"I shall return one day!" Miroku called to the priestess, as Inuyasha dragged him away by the back of his robes.

Sango marched after them, muttering curses under her breath as she went. Shippo ran after Sango, leaving Kagome and Kirara walking at the back of the group.

"I told you to trust me," Kirara said quietly.

Kagome turned to her, and Kirara smiled warmly, winking at her.

"You're a strange little cat, you know that Kirara?" Kagome said through a laugh.

"Hey, who are you calling little?" Kirara asked, stretching to her fullest height to look down on Kagome.

"You're still strange," Kagome replied.

Kirara shrugged her shoulders, her smile still firmly placed on her face. The two then quickened their paces, hurrying to catch up with Inuyasha, who was still dragging Miroku against his will.

"You can let go of me now, Inuyasha," Miroku complained.

"Not likely!" Inuyasha grumbled. "We have to move quickly, I don't have time for your womanising!"

Shippo caught up with Miroku, running on all fours by his side.

"Say Miroku, was it worth it?" he asked.

"It always is, Shippo," Miroku replied with a sigh. "It always is."

"He is such a lecher," Sango growled.

* * *

After over an hour of walking in the direction the priestess had indicated, the gang were still no closer to finding any traces of Naraku, Kagura or Kanna.

"Damn!" Inuyasha cursed, stopping and turning his head up to the sky above them.

The others stopped, looking around themselves. Kagome shivered involuntarily as she took in the exceptionally tall trees so closely packed around them.

"What is this place, anyway?" she asked, looking down at the slimy moss coating the forest floor, that had successfully stained her socks and oozed into her shoes. "It gives me the creeps!"

"I think I know this place," Inuyasha commented, looking pensive. "I just can't remember when I was here before, or why."

"A demon!" Kirara blurted.

"It's Naraku!" Inuyasha yelled, tearing the Tetsusaiga from its sheath.

"No, it's Kagura!" Miroku said, pointing up into the sky.

The others watched in silence as Kagura flew off into the distance, heading northwest.

"Should we follow her?" Sango asked.

"I don't think so," Miroku replied.

"Why not?" Inuyasha barked impatiently. "She'll lead us straight to Naraku!"

"Not necessarily," Miroku slowly replied. "She seems to have been rebelling against him somewhat, I don't trust her to be entirely in alliance with him."

"Hey, she's not exactly on our side!" Inuyasha pointed out.

"I suggest we keep going west for now," Miroku suggested. "The priestess told us that Kagura was with Naraku and Kanna. Naraku is possibly somewhere nearby, too weak for us to sense due to his injuries from his fight with you and Sesshomaru. Let's keep going."

"Alright," Inuyasha grumbled, returning his Tetsusaiga to its scabbard.

The gang walked a little further, before Inuyasha stumbled to a halt, raising his head to sniff at the air.

"Can you feel that demonic aura?" Miroku asked the others.

"Very powerful," Sango said, nodding her head.

"And I'd know that scent anywhere," Inuyasha said bitterly. "Kagura wasn't with Naraku and Kanna. She was with–"

"Sesshomaru and Jaken!" Kagome shrieked, pointing forwards.

Inuyasha clapped a hand onto the hilt of his trusty Tetsusaiga as he saw his older brother and the little toad demon walking slowly towards them, curling his fingers around the hilt as he awaited his chance to attack.

Sesshomaru moved at his typically unhurried pace, Jaken trotting along at his side, looking even more disgusted by Inuyasha's group than usual. Once he was within ten feet of Inuyasha, Sesshomaru stopped walking, Jaken dumbly walking on a few steps without him before noticing that he had stopped. Bowing and apologising pitifully, Jaken slunk back to stand a step behind his lord, scowling at Inuyasha and his friends from the safety of Sesshomaru's shadow.

"What do you want, jackass?" Inuyasha demanded. "And what were you doing with Kagura?"

Sesshomaru stared blankly at Inuyasha whilst he spoke, pausing for a moment after he stopped before shifting his eyes to look at something beyond Inuyasha.

"Huh?" Inuyasha muttered, turning his head to look in the direction Sesshomaru appeared to be staring.

Inuyasha frowned as he saw Kirara standing staring back at Sesshomaru, her face pale and her eyes wide.

"Hey, if it's a fight you want jackass, I'm right here!" Inuyasha yelled, turning back Sesshomaru. "And I'm not letting you anywhere near any of my friends. You gotta get through me first!"

Inuyasha drew out his sword, which glowed with life, the blade bleeding a deep crimson.

"No," Kirara said quietly.

Inuyasha faltered, her voice having been so soft and quiet, he momentarily wondered if she was even talking to him.

"Kirara?" he muttered, looking back at her.

"I have to go," she said, her voice slightly louder and slightly stronger. "It is only right."

"Kirara, no!" Sango cried as Kirara started to walk past Inuyasha.

"It would be a dishonour to the name of my creed to refuse a challenge from a dog demon," Kirara said to her. "I must do this, and I must do it alone. Please understand."

"Don't be stupid, Kirara!" Inuyasha yelled at her as she started off again. "He'll kill you!"

"That is a chance I am willing to take," Kirara replied, her eyes watching Sesshomaru as she spoke.

'Even though it hardly seems fair to die now, after only just managing to break the spell,' Kirara thought despairingly.

"Jaken, wait here," Sesshomaru said, his eyes locked onto Kirara's as she stopped in front of him. "You will follow me."

Sesshomaru turned his back on Kirara and slowly began to walk back in the direction he had just emerged from. Kirara took one last look over her shoulder, forcing a smile as she caught Sango's eye.

"No!" Sango wailed, lunging forwards.

Miroku hurriedly grabbed his arms around her waist, holding her back.

"This is Kirara's battle, Sango," he advised. "We have to let her fight it, and just pray for the best."

"If he kills her, I'm gonna kill him," Inuyasha said, turning the tip of the Tetsusaiga towards Jaken. "And I'm gonna kill that little imp bastard too!"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** It's showdown time between the cat and the dog, but not all is as it seems; did Kirara hear Sesshomaru correctly?! **Chapter 12 – Sesshomaru's Concession**.


	12. Sesshomaru's Concession

**Recap:** Kirara's matchmaking appeared to work for Kagome and Inuyasha, and the group were advised by a priestess that there were three demons nearby, one of whom was Kagura. However, the other two turned out to be Sesshomaru and Jaken. Sesshomaru ordered Kirara to follow him, and the two left alone.

* * *

 **Chapter 12 – Sesshomaru's Concession**

Kirara stopped, tilting her chin upwards defiantly.

'Trust this pompous dog to pick such a hazardous location for a battle,' she thought to herself.

Sesshomaru had led her out of the forest and onto a ledge, overlooking a valley from a dizzying height. The wind swirled around their legs, sweeping Sesshomaru's impossibly long silver hair to one side. Kirara momentarily allowed herself to admit that, for that brief moment, he did look very regal and noble; but, she quickly reminded herself, appearances could be very deceiving, and, in this instance, it was nothing more than an illusion.

"You can be in no doubt as to why I have brought you here alone," he said, his voice as smooth, emotionless and calm as ever.

"Indeed," Kirara agreed, her hand hovering over the hilt of her sword.

Her sword; the sword Totosai had made for her, that she had yet to test in battle. Of course, it would be useless against the might of Sesshomaru's Tokijin, but what other choice did she have?

Kirara smiled bitterly as she thought back to the night she had collected the sword from Totosai, the very same night that she had so foolishly challenged the demon lord to a battle, one which she had fled from like a common coward, a true disgrace to her own race. If Sesshomaru did kill her, it was no more than she deserved for such a display of cowardice, she decided.

"I have not forgotten what transpired the night I happened upon you by Master Totosai's abode," Sesshomaru said.

"Nor have I," Kirara replied, her hand falling away from her weapon.

"Your countenance, your brash language and your entire demeanour have haunted me in ways that I cannot even begin to describe," Sesshomaru continued. "And I have also not forgotten the accusations you placed upon me when I found you trying to kidnap my ward and my dragon."

"I wasn't trying to kidnap anyone," Kirara defended herself quietly. "On that point at least I am innocent, Lord Sesshomaru. I merely saw a young human girl on her own, and an injured demon, both of whom I believed to be in need of my assistance."

"And your desire to please and aid those weaker than yourself has also not failed to escape my notice either," Sesshomaru added.

"Yes, you have made that much evident already."

Kirara watched the back of Sesshomaru's head, silently willing him to just turn around and attack her already. Talking about it and anxiously awaiting the inevitable was only making her more nervous.

"And so now you are to play a game with me."

Kirara slowly narrowed her eyes, her breath catching in her chest as every muscle in her body seized up. What did he mean?

"I see," he continued. "You are perhaps not so different from other females as I had previously thought you to be."

Kirara let out a shuddering gasp as her muscles began to ache, her body releasing the air that had been burning in her lungs.

"I do not appreciate this insolence."

Kirara pulled a face at Sesshomaru unsure if she had missed something he may have said earlier. He appeared to think that she was offending him somehow. Had he already asked her to draw her weapon? Was he letting her attack his back? Where was the honour in that?

"You have toyed with me quite long enough," Sesshomaru said sharply, his sudden change in tone scaring Kirara far more than even the thought of fighting him in his full demon form did. "You will toy with me no longer. You will be my mate."

"Wha-huh?" Kirara blurted, clasping a hand to her chest as her heart leapt in shock.

Had she heard him correctly? The last part of what he had said, had she definitely heard right?

"Lord Sesshomaru…" she said slowly. "Did you just ask me to…"

"It was not a request, it was an order," Sesshomaru replied, his voice once more back to its usual cold, flat tone. "And I will not repeat myself."

Kirara found that she was once more forgetting to breathe again as she fought desperately to make her mind focus on what was happening. The only coherent thought that she could string together was that this was some sort of strange dream, or that Shippo had disguised himself as Sesshomaru to play a stupid trick on her; otherwise, why else would the lord of the dog demons be asking her, a cat demon, to be his mate?

"Of course, I suffered greatly," Sesshomaru continued after a short silence. "I have warred within myself. I am not pleased to be taking a cat demon as my mate, least of all one whose circumstances in life are so decidedly below my own. I was, at first, disgusted with myself. But with the correct training and discipline, I believe that I can douse the flame of that feisty attitude that you possess. In my hands, I believe that you could be trained to be civil, to act like a lady, and to only talk when you have your lord's permission. In fact, I quite relish the challenge you present to me."

Kirara awoke from her reverie, her face twisting into a scowl. This sounded more like the Sesshomaru that she knew.

"And if I am to refuse?" she asked boldly.

"You cannot refuse," Sesshomaru plainly replied.

"I just did," Kirara replied, smirking to herself as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I would sooner die by your hand than be your mate."

"You will!" Sesshomaru growled, spinning around to face her at last.

Kirara started in alarm as she saw Sesshomaru's eyes glowing red at her. She gulped again, straightening her back as she tried to maintain her dignity.

"You will be mine!" he snarled.

"I will not," she said, her voice quiet yet determined.

"You will, or I will remove your head from your shoulders, fire-cat!" Sesshomaru snarled, stepping closer to her.

"Maybe so," Kirara confidently replied. "But you will not take me without a fight."

To Kirara's amazement, her words made the redness fade from Sesshomaru's eyes.

"Another game," he mused quietly, looking down the length of his nose at her. "I am no fool. I know it is secretly the way of females to refuse the one they truly wish to accept, in some vain attempt to appear alluring and more feminine. You need not play such childish, pointless games with me. You have already expressed a desire to be with me, I do not need to hear your word upon the matter now."

Kirara faltered again, her mind screaming as she once more found she was confused by his words, as if she had missed a small part of something he was saying.

"Are you referring to the time I asked you if you would take me as your "wife" in order to please Rin?" Kirara asked, her brain desperately grabbing onto the one clear and logical idea it could find in the haze of confusion around her.

"Why else would you make such a bold statement if not as a means to convey your deep-seated desire to be my mate?" Sesshomaru responded.

'Ah,' Kirara thought to herself. 'We've been here before. He's trying to turn my words against me again. Jackass.'

"That was not what I meant at all," Kirara carefully replied. "Had I known that my words would be taken in such a way, I should never have dared voice them."

"And yet you did," Sesshomaru quickly retorted. "And I saw you look back both times that you left me."

"What?" Kirara echoed feeling even more lost than before.

"The night you challenged me to a duel and then fled," he explained. "You stopped and looked back at me. And the morning you left me by the edge of the forest, you stopped and looked back at me again. You wanted me to chase you. A very coy tactic indeed."

Kirara cringed as she felt her face burn at his words. She had been unable to rest for her concern that he viewed her running away from him as the actions of a coward, but to learn that he saw it as her merely flirting with him, trying to seduce him even, quickly changed her worry into shame.

"My Lord, I fear you are very much mistaken," she began. "I was merely–"

"I am never wrong," Sesshomaru interrupted her. "You have demonstrated time and time again that you desire to have me for your mate. Do not disrespect me so now by denying that it was your intention to lure me in with your wicked feminine charms and graces, so expertly used as to make me forget who I am and what I owe to my family name and the throne of the Western Lands."

"If I truly am so repulsive to you, why do you still wish to take me for your mate?" Kirara haughtily returned. "If you wish to be "lured by wicked feminine charms and graces", there are plenty of lowly female demons who would gladly stand by your side as your mate and obey your every word. I am not one of those females, Lord Sesshomaru, and I deeply resent the accusation that I am such."

"Your words may be those of a defiant female demon posing as a warrior of some sorts, but your body betrays your every word."

Kirara paled as Sesshomaru took another step closer to her, lifting his head ever so slightly, his nose making the smallest of motions as he inhaled her scent.

"How dare you?" Kirara growled. "I am not "posing" as anything! I am a warrior! And my body betrays nothing but the burning hatred I feel towards you!"

"On the contrary," Sesshomaru replied, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke. "I have observed that the closer I move to you, the more you go out of your way to accentuate the alluring curves of your body."

"I do no such thing!" Kirara snapped, her face flushing again as the insinuation made her suddenly very conscious of her newly regained human body.

Sesshomaru took a step closer to Kirara, who instinctively lifted her chin further in the air, moving her shoulders back and moving a hand to one hip. Sesshomaru's eyebrows inched upwards, and Kirara suddenly realised exactly what he had been talking about. Mewing indignantly, she spun around, facing away from him as she reeled inwardly from shock and horror.

"The view is equally as appealing from this angle," Sesshomaru quietly said.

Although his voice was as monotonous and void of emotion as ever, his words defiled her far more than even a grope from Miroku could ever have done.

"I do not wish to be your mate, Lord Sesshomaru," Kirara said stubbornly, turning her head to look over her shoulder at him. "Not now, and not ever. You have insulted me by every possible means, and I must now take my leave of you. I can only hope that we never cross paths again."

"And this is to be your final word upon the matter?" Sesshomaru asked.

Kirara opened her mouth to reply, but then decided against it. She refused to give him any more words that he could use as weapons against her in their next encounter, stabbing them into her back and twisting them to suit his own delights. Without a backward glance – since such a thing would only give the impression that she wanted to bond with the demon lord – Kirara marched off back in the direction of her friends.

"Hateful, hateful man!" she growled under her breath as she stormed back into the forest. "Arrogant, contemptuous, presumptuous, condescending, self-righteous, pompous, narcissistic jackass!"

Kirara ignored the mixture of relieved and surprised expressions her friends greeted her with as she approached them, her eyes locking instead onto the small, green, slimy little toad that stood between her and her friends, scowling at her disdainfully.

"It will give me no pleasure to serve you," he sneered as she drew near.

"Then perhaps it will give you immense pleasure to learn that you shall never have that task," Kirara spat back.

"You…" Jaken began, his eyes widening out of their contemptuous sneer. "You refused my master?"

Kirara glanced nervously over at her friends, praying that the alert ears of her demon and half-demon companions had not heard the toad imp's words.

"What a relief for you," Kirara growled, turning back to Jaken. "For he is all yours once more!"

"Hey!" Jaken screamed as Kirara yanked his staff out of his hands.

Kirara spun the staff over the fingers of one hand, catching it to hold it upside-down. She then grasped it with her other hand, swinging it back over one shoulder before spinning around, using the momentum of her body and arms to whack Jaken with his own treasured weapon, sending him flying into the air.

Kirara then tried to break the staff in half with both hands, even bending up one leg and hitting it off her thigh in an attempt to weaken it. When she failed to so much as put a splinter in the ancient staff, Kirara threw it like a spear, aiming it in the same direction Jaken's body had disappeared in.

Sango took one step towards Kirara, her foot making sticky, squelching noises as she lifted it from the soggy forest floor and placed it down again. At the sound of the motion, Kirara turned her head sharply towards her friends, her fangs and claws bared and her eyes red.

"Did you just kill my brother?" Inuyasha asked, pointing at Kirara with his Tetsusaiga as he spoke.

"Put your weapon away, you fool!" Kirara hissed in response.

"Hey, don't get angry with me, stupid!" Inuyasha barked back. "I just wanted to know what you did to him, that's all!"

Kirara let out a short, sharp growl, before marching towards the group and heading straight past them and continuing on back in the direction they had just come.

"What's up with your cat, Sango?" Inuyasha asked, slipping the Tetsusaiga back into its sheath as he addressed Sango.

"I don't know," Sango said, frowning in concern. "But I should really go after her and tell her she's going the wrong way. She won't know that we've detected a shard of the jewel yet."

"Well hurry up!" Inuyasha yelled after her as she ran after her friend.

* * *

"Master Jaken, why were you flying?" Rin asked, tilting her head to one side curiously as she eyed Jaken over.

"Stop with your incessant questions, girl!" Jaken moaned, touching one hand to the tender part of his stomach where the two heads of his own staff had whacked into him. "I tried to warn my master that women are nothing but trouble, but did he listen?" he added under his breath.

"I didn't know you could fly, Master Jaken," Rin continued, oblivious to Jaken's ill temper. "Your staff hit Ah and Un's tail. It was lucky Kirara helped Ah and Un get better, or else I wouldn't have been able to save your staff for you."

Jaken sighed, silently noting that Rin would also have not been able to save him as he arced in the air and began his freefall descent towards the ground.

"Can we return to Lord Sesshomaru now?" Rin asked.

"Yes," Jaken replied. "This way."

Rin turned around to face Ah-Un's heads, taking hold of its reins to guide it back in the direction Jaken had indicated. They flew back over the trees towards an open ledge by the forest's edge that over-looked a large, open valley. Jaken, being more sensitive to demonic auras and his master's moods, stiffened as Ah-Un began to descend towards Sesshomaru, who was standing with his back turned to them, his one hand raised up by his shoulder.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin cried, leaping off of Ah-Un before it had fully landed.

Sesshomaru spun around to face them, the sight of his condition causing Jaken to yelp. Rin paused, frowning up at him in confusion. His eyes were red, his mouth was wide, exposing his fangs, and his hand was glowing green, his claws dripping with something that was burning and killing the grass by his feet.

"We will await you back at the castle, Milord," Jaken hurriedly said, reaching a hand down to grab Rin by the collar of her kimono and drag her back.

Rin stumbled back, her eyes still locked on Sesshomaru.

"Master Jaken, what has happened to Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked as she climbed back up onto Ah-Un's back.

"You've made him angry, girl," Jaken quietly replied, passing Ah-Un's reins to her.

"I did?"

Jaken groaned, slapping a hand against Ah-Un's flank to make it leap up into the air once more.

"I should apologise to Lord Sesshomaru, Master Jaken," Rin said softly as they flew off over the valley.

"No, you'll only make him more angry," Jaken replied, glancing over his shoulder to watch as Sesshomaru swiped his hand at a tree, snapping it in two, the poison from his claws reducing it to ash before it even hit the ground. "Although I have never seen him this angry before…"

"What did I do to make Lord Sesshomaru so angry?" Rin asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"You're a girl," Jaken replied, poking her in the back with one bony finger. "Lord Sesshomaru doesn't like girls!"

"Oh," Rin said quietly. "Is that why he doesn't like Kirara?"

"Yes," Jaken said, nodding his head and grinning slyly. "Lord Sesshomaru hates Kirara…"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** After her unexpected encounter with Sesshomaru, Kirara is more short-tempered than usual. But can the gang use her newfound energy to help them recover the jewel shard they have traced? **Chapter 13 – Kirara's Rage**.


	13. Kirara's Rage

**Recap:** Sesshomaru confronted Kirara, but it was not to battle with her as she suspected, but rather to tell her she would be his mate. Enraged by his arrogance, Kirara refused, returning to her friends infuriated.

* * *

 **Chapter 13 – Kirara's Rage**

"Kirara!" Sango called, struggling to run well in the slippery, sticky undergrowth of the forest. "Kirara, slow down!"

Ahead of her, Kirara was still marching onwards, her feet shamelessly splashing through the moss, causing it to spurt upwards, small chunks landing all over her clothing. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides, her arms hanging stiffly and unmoving, and she was muttering to herself through her tightly clenched teeth, a string a barely audible curses against Sesshomaru's name.

"Kirara, please, talk to me!" Sango begged.

Kirara stopped abruptly, her mutterings replaced by the sound of her deep, ragged breathing that whistled through her still clenched teeth.

"What happened, Kirara?" Sango asked, jogging over to her side. "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing," Kirara growled through her teeth.

"Then what did he say to you?"

Kirara paused, before looking back sharply over her shoulder. As she saw the others, far away from them, apparently walking in the opposite direction, the redness drained from her eyes and she slowly relaxed her shoulders.

"Kagome was able to sense the sacred jewel while you were gone," Sango explained. "It's west of here, we have to go back that way."

"I don't want to go back that way," Kirara said stubbornly, turning back to face east, folding her arms over her chest.

"Kirara, you have my word as your friend that I will not tell the others anything you want to tell me about what just happened," Sango said gently, touching a hand to Kirara's bare forearm.

"Hm," Kirara grunted, her green eyes narrowing.

"Obviously he was very rude to you again," Sango said lightly, hoping to encourage Kirara to talk.

"Extremely so," Kirara simply replied her eyes still fixed ahead of her.

"He is a very rude man, Kirara," Sango said warmly. "He is a demon lord, he thinks everyone is beneath him. It's probably just been his upbringing."

"Impossible," Kirara growled in a low voice. "Inuyasha is nowhere near as arrogant, single-minded, rude or vain as his brother."

"Inuyasha wasn't raised with his brother," Sango pointed out. "Their father died when Inuyasha was still just a baby, his mother fled the castle and raised him on her own, away from Sesshomaru."

"Fled the castle? Not likely. I would willingly gamble my life that Sesshomaru forced them out, the insensitive dog that he is!"

"Kirara, may I ask you a question?"

"Certainly."

"Do you really hate all dog demons, or do you just hate one?"

Kirara paused, her eyes lowering slightly in thought.

"I just hate one," she eventually replied, turning to face Sango. "And his name is Lord Sesshomaru!"

Kirara grabbed a fist at the air between herself and Sango, baring her fangs in her rage.

"What did he say to you, Kirara?" Sango asked, ignoring her friend's expression of anger. "And why could he not say it in front of the rest of us? He took you away alone, not even his little toad servant came with you. What did he say, Kirara?"

"I am too ashamed to repeat the words he spoke to me," Kirara quietly replied, lowering her fist to her side once more.

"I will not breathe a word of this to another soul, I swear, Kirara!" Sango insisted. "I just want to know because I am worried for your safety. I don't want to lose you, Kirara. You're the only thing that keeps me going. Thinking of all my friends and family who have perished because of Naraku sometimes makes me wonder why I'm still alive. It tears me apart to see Naraku using Kohaku as a mere puppet, I need something to give me the strength to continue, and you, Kirara, are that something. If not for yourself, then for my sake, please tell me what happened."

"Well…" Kirara began slowly, her eyes dropping to her feet. "He, um… He asked me to – no, he told me to… He ordered me to be his mate."

"Hm, I thought as much."

"What?"

Kirara stared at Sango with wide, shocked eyes, but Sango merely nodded her head, a knowing expression on her face.

"You knew?" Kirara yelped. "But how?"

"I realised he was either going to kill you or take you as his," Sango replied. "When you returned alive, I decided it must have been the latter."

"But how did you know? You had never even witnessed any of the interactions between us!"

"I didn't need to. The way you spoke about him, and the way he regarded you when we came across him in the forest just now. I knew what was going on. Or at least, I knew it was one of two things, I could never really be sure. Sesshomaru is such a strange character. Although I am surprised that he didn't try to kill you for refusing him."

Kirara lowered her eyes again, and Sango gasped in alarm.

"You did refuse him, didn't you Kirara?" she asked.

"Of course I did!" Kirara snapped, lifting her eyes to Sango, her face turning pink. "It was just… The things that he said to me!"

Kirara turned her head to the east, hooking one fang over her bottom lip pensively.

"What did he say?" Sango innocently asked.

"I cannot bring myself to repeat his words!" Kirara sharply replied, turning back to Sango. "Such a loathsome, irksome, arrogant–"

"Yes, I understand, you hate him," Sango interjected, holding up both hands to stop Kirara's seemingly endless string of adjectives that she liked to use to describe Sesshomaru. "And obviously he said some terrible, terrible things to you. You were lucky to escape with your life, Kirara."

"He accused me of…"

Kirara stopped, flattening a hand across her chest as she saw an image of Sesshoamru's face in her mind's eye, his words echoing inside her head.

'The closer I move to you, the more you go out of your way to accentuate the alluring curves of your body,' she heard him say.

Kirara mewed indignantly, shaking her head in an attempt to shake Sesshomaru's image from her mind.

"You said Kagome was able to sense the Shikon Jewel?" she asked, turning to Sango.

"That's right," Sango agreed, pointing back in the direction the others were heading. "It's this way."

"Right," Kirara said firmly. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Kirara smacked a fist into her open palm before marching off back in the direction she had just come from.

"Kirara!" Sango called to her. "Could you slow down please? It's really difficult for me to walk in this."

Kirara stopped, transforming into her fire-cat form before turning and bounding back to Sango's side.

"Thanks, Kirara," Sango said, leaping onto her back.

With a feline snarl of determination, Kirara leapt up, soaring up above the treetops before moving forwards after the others. From her new vantage point, Kirara could see the valley beyond the end of the forest, and the hills beyond that. Flying at around the same altitude as she was, and heading in the same direction, was a familiar looking dragon demon. Although it was flying considerably further ahead of her, Kirara instantly recognised the beast as well as those who rode on its back.

'The dragon demon Ah-Un,' she thought to herself. 'With the toad imp Jaken and the mortal girl Rin. But where is Lord Sesshomaru?'

Kirara growled again. Why did she even care where he was? With a burst of speed that made Sango squeal and grab onto the fur around her neck to steady herself, Kirara raced onwards, diving down towards the others. Kirara landed with a loud squelch, sending moss and mud flying everywhere. As the others muttered under their breaths and wiped the dirt from their clothing, Sango leapt off Kirara, waiting until she had returned to her human form before talking.

"Kagome was able to sense the jewel while you were gone, but she thinks it may be only one shard," Sango explained.

"Yeah, but it's still quite far from here," Kagome added, rubbing one side of her face with her sleeve as she spoke.

"Which means we have to go right into his damn territory!" Inuyasha moaned.

"What?" Kirara echoed. "Whose territory?"

"Well, I thought I had been in this forest before, and now I can remember why," Inuyasha replied.

Kirara tilted her head in confusion as she saw Miroku and Sango violently shaking their heads at Inuyasha as if they wished him to discontinue his explanation.

"This forest is the border to the Western Lands," Inuyasha continued, either not noticing the others or not caring. "Once we reach the other side, there should be a valley. That valley marks the start of the Western Lands. Once we reach that valley, we're walking on Sesshomaru's land."

Kirara faltered, and Sango quickly stepped forwards.

"So I think we should split up now," she said, before anyone else could speak. "Kirara, you take Kagome back to Kaede's village for the antidote, and wait with her while she returns home for a few days. Kagome needs to go home to see her family, and we need some more of those supplies we left back at Kaede's hut. If you transform and fly there and back, you can both move quickly and carry more supplies."

"An excellent idea," Miroku agreed.

"We have plenty of supplies," Kirara calmly replied. "And if it's a flying demon with the ability to carry heavy loads you seek, why not ask Hachi? He's a lot bigger than me, and he can fly faster."

"Hachi is not strong enough to help Kagome if she encounters a powerful demon," Sango pointed out.

"Perhaps not, but he is an expert at running away," Kirara returned.

"I don't even know where Hachi is," Miroku said, hoping that this would deter Kirara from her line of thought.

"Hachi is never too far away," Kirara coldly replied.

"That's true," Inuyasha grunted. "I can smell him pretty much every day, and the stench has been getting stronger, he must be quite close."

Kirara smirked smugly at Miroku, who hung his head in defeat.

"Call him out, Miroku," she said. "Tell him to take Kagome back to the village and then return to us. Tell him we will be heading west of this point. Kagome will be able to find us after that, we will have recovered a shard of the jewel."

Miroku sighed, turning to Sango, who merely shrugged her shoulders.

"We will continue on," Kirara announced. "We will find this demon and slay it to retrieve the shard of the jewel."

"I guess I should stay with you guys until we find the jewel shard," Kagome offered. "I think it's moving around, so someone or something must have it."

"Then we shall slay every demon we come across," Kirara coldly replied. "After all, slaying demons has been my life's work."

"What if a human has it?" Sango asked.

"We will know, a human would display super-human characteristics if in possession of a shard of the jewel," Kirara replied.

"You're not going to get her to change her mind," Miroku whispered to Sango.

"I know," Sango whispered in reply.

"I can hear you," Kirara growled. "And I know what you are all thinking. And you are all wrong. I do not fear Lord Sesshomaru. I will cross his land with my head held high."

"Sounds good to me," Inuyasha said.

"Let's go!" Shippo chirped, leaping up onto Kirara's shoulder.

Sango turned to Miroku and Kagome, her desperation evident in her face.

"Go on ahead," Miroku told her. "Kagome and I will look for Hachi, and I'll catch you all up once I have safely seen Kagome off."

Sango reluctantly nodded her agreement.

"I suppose we don't have any other choice," she said with a sigh, watching over her shoulder as the two demons and the half-demon walked off without them. "Kirara can be so headstrong and stubborn."

"Like Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, cocking a smirk at the girls.

"You think Kirara is like Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, arching her eyebrows. "I thought she was more dominant and pompous, like Sesshomaru."

Sango turned sharply to Miroku, who laughed nervously, putting a hand on Kagome's shoulder and steering her away from Sango.

"Come on Kagome!" he said brightly. "Let's go find that pesky raccoon!"

Sango watched her two friends leave, her mind in turmoil. A glance over her shoulder told her that she was rapidly losing ground on the remaining members of their group. With a groan of despair, she began to run as best she could through the sticky, sludgy undergrowth to catch up with Inuyasha, Kirara and Shippo.

* * *

Sesshomaru walked across the open valley, his usual slow pace slightly quickened, but otherwise his demeanour as cold, calm and indifferent as ever. He was instinctively heading back towards his home, recent events having left him desiring nothing more than to retire to a place where respect was given without question, his every order was obeyed with haste, and there was absolutely no chance whatsoever of him coming across his irksome younger brother.

He had hoped for an uneventful and slow journey home, allowing him sufficient peace and time to collect his thoughts; but even before he reached the other side of the valley, he knew that it was not to be. Ahead of him, he was picking up four demonic auras, and as he walked onwards, the scent of blood began to reach his delicate senses.

Under normal circumstances, Sesshomaru would have darted towards the scent, destroying whoever or whatever he found. Usually, these scents meant that lesser demons were warring over something pitiful and meaningless on his land, and he saw it as his duty to remove them from existence for the crime.

But, he thought to himself, these scents were far from ordinary, and three of the demonic auras he sensed were far more powerful than those of a common centipede or weasel demon. Stopping by the foot of the hill, Sesshomaru raised his chin, sniffing lightly at the air. He paused, stiffening at what he sensed. He could smell three demons, a half-demon and a human, all of whom he knew only too well. He could smell the blood of two demons as they fought against each other, their sweat, their adrenaline and their determination.

Sesshomaru lowered his chin again, stalking around the curve of the foot of the hill, before launching himself into the air, silently scaling his way to the uppermost branches of a sizeable tree to watch the scene that had previously been obscured from his vision by the hill. Narrowing his eyes at what he saw, he barely noticed the actions of the bystanders, or the fact that they were missing two human travelling companions; all he could see was the fire-cat, looking positively wild, her arms locked around the neck of a giant bear demon as she tried to choke it into submission.

"Kirara, get out of the way!" Inuyasha yelled, brandishing the red-bladed Tetsusaiga in the air. "I can finish that thing off with one blow!"

"Interfere and I will come for you next!" Kirara yelled back, before biting down into the bear's shoulder.

Sesshomaru leaned forwards, the rage radiating off of the female cat demon hitting him in waves. Her teeth still embedded in the bear's shoulder, the bear swiped a paw at her arms, its claws tearing through her bared skin. As the scent of her blood become stronger in the air, her arms weakened their hold of the bear's neck, and as it swung its head around, her arms slid from its body entirely, her body flying outwards, only the strength of her bite holding her up.

Seeing this, the bear drew its shoulder back and then jerked it forwards. Kirara lost her grip and was thrown unceremoniously through the air her back colliding hard with a tree not far from the one Sesshomaru was concealed in. Sesshomaru craned his neck to see where she had landed; surely a blow like that had been enough to knock her unconscious. As his eyes located her, he found her slumped against the base of the tree, her arms and legs splayed at her sides. She looked to be out cold, one blow away from losing the battle and her life; but as Inuyasha stepped forwards to take over from her, her eyes suddenly snapped open, her demon spirit spiking in power as her eyes turned scarlet and her fangs lengthened in her jaws.

"Stay down, Kirara!" Inuyasha warned her.

"Never!" she growled, getting to her feet. "I am a warrior!"

Claws raised, Kirara pounced at the bear's chest with what little energy she had left. As she flew towards the bear, one hand tore her sword from its sheath, the other tore into the bear's flesh, her claws hooking into its skin to hold her body in place as she stabbed her sword into the bear as though it were a dagger. She twisted the blade before yanking it out again, a small, sparkling pink splinter emerging along with her bloodied blade.

The bear demon dissolved into nothing more than ashes, and Kirara dropped to the ground, landing in an awkward crouch.

"Kirara!" Sango cried, running towards her.

Kirara growled, pushing herself to her feet. Even from the distance he stood, Sesshomaru could see the fire-cat was sporting several battle wounds, the smell of her blood overwhelming his senses. As he watched, she dragged the back of one hand across her lips, wiping away the blood that remained there. She cocked a smirk at the demon-slayer standing before her, trying her best to stand tall and proud.

"One jewel shard," she said, pointing at the sparkling object behind her. "I told you we could manage fine without Kagome."

"I could have easily killed that thing with my Wind Scar!" Inuyasha grumbled, returning the Tetsusaiga to its scabbard.

"Kirara, are you alright?" Shippo asked, bounding over to her ankles to frown up at her in concern.

Sesshomaru leaned further forwards still as he awaited the fire-cat's response. Clearly she was not alright, he thought to himself. Only an idiot would ask such a stupid question of her at such a moment. By sight alone it was obvious that she had suffered several deep wounds, her clothing was badly torn and stained with both her own blood and that of the bear demon, and her hair had come loose, sticking to the blood and sweat down the sides of her face.

"I'm fine, Shippo," she said, smiling slightly and crouching down to pat him on the head.

As she stood again, she visibly winced, obviously from the pain of one of her more serious injuries.

"You don't look fine, Kirara," Inuyasha said bluntly. "You look awful."

"Well I feel fine, alright?" Kirara sternly replied.

"Such a stubborn, headstrong girl," a voice purred at Sesshomaru's shoulder. "I must say, I never pictured you falling in love with a woman with a bad attitude, who spends her time with humans, and gets her hands so dirty in battle, Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru growled, swiping his one remaining hand around. Predicting his angered response, Kagura back-flipped out of harm's way, landing a few branches below Sesshomaru. She tilted her head back to look up at him, smirking at him shamelessly.

"I thought you were already betrothed to the princess of the Northern Lands, Sesshomaru," she called up to him. "But if you were looking for a bit of fun before you bond with the princess, I could have easily fulfilled your every want and desire. All I ask in return is that you kill Naraku."

Sesshomaru stared blankly down at Kagura, who began to laugh, her voice shortly catching in her throat as Sesshomaru leapt down at her. Again, she back-flipped out of his way, landing on the ground. Sesshomaru landed in a crouch a short distance in front of her, his eyes shifting from Kagura to the figure that stood between them.

"Kagura," the monk said, before turning to face Sesshomaru. "Sesshomaru!"

"We'll meet again, Sesshomaru," Kagura said with a sigh, pulling a feather from her hair and whooshing into the air in a whirlwind of energy.

Sesshomaru watched her leave before moving his eyes back to the bewildered monk before him. He slowly got to his feet, silently noting the scent of fear that tinged the air as he did so.

"Did she tell you where Naraku is?"

Sesshomaru stared back unblinkingly, deciding that he was in no humour to be answering the questions of a mere human.

"Kagura…"

As the monk turned his head to take a glance up into the sky, Sesshomaru took his chance to disappear, leaping back up into the tree and slipping out of sight before he turned back.

"Miroku!" Inuyasha called, jogging over to the monk's side. "Did you find Hachi?"

"Yes," Miroku replied, frowning at the point where Sesshomaru had been standing only moments ago.

"Damn," Inuyasha grumbled. "This whole place reeks of my jackass brother. Let's get out of here."

"Did you find the jewel shards?" Miroku asked.

"Jewel shards?" Kirara asked, frowning at him as she joined them.

"There was just one," Sango added, holding out her hand to show the recovered shard to Miroku.

"Yes, but Kagome said before she left that she could sense more jewel shards moving southwest of here," Miroku replied.

"Southwest?" Inuyasha groaned. "But that's the opposite direction Naraku went!"

"I think we should pursue the jewel shards for now," Miroku calmly replied. "After all, we have found no traces of Naraku, and there are still many more demons roaming the land, suggesting that he is still in hiding somewhere. We could go northeast and waste many weeks waiting for a sign from Naraku. It would be a productive use of our time to pursue the jewel shards, since we definitely know where they are from here."

"Hm," Inuyasha grunted. "Southwest, you say?"

Miroku nodded.

"Come on then, let's go."

Miroku started to follow Inuyasha, skidding to a halt as he caught sight of the bedraggled and bloodied Kirara.

"What happened to her?" he whispered to Sango.

"She insisted on fighting the demon that had the jewel shard alone," Sango whispered back. "She kept saying something about "I'll show you feisty" and "I'm not posing, I am a warrior". She said she still needs battle experience in her new form."

"But why?" Miroku asked. "She always fought in her fire-cat form before."

Sango shrugged her shoulders, a thoughtful look slowly dawning across her features.

"I sense you are scheming something," Miroku said, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Well, you always say that you can read a sutra to calm someone's nerves, right Miroku?" she said slyly, stealing a glance at him from the corner of her eye as they slowly followed after the others.

"You want me to talk to her?" Miroku asked nervously.

Sango nodded.

"You think I can calm her down?"

Again Sango nodded.

"Well…"

"Do it for me, Miroku? Please?"

Miroku began to smirk to himself, causing Sango's features to darken.

"And don't bother thinking that this means that you can ask for some lecherous favour in return, Miroku!" she warned him.

Miroku sighed.

"It's the hand," he said, looking down at his covered hand forlornly.

"So you keep saying…" Sango muttered.

"I'll talk to her," Miroku said decisively. "For you, Sango."

"Thank you, Miroku," she said, smiling sweetly up at him.

Miroku smiled back, sneakily reaching a hand towards her. Having expected Miroku to try as much, Sango pushed her hip outwards, her smile widening as the outer edge of her Hiraikotsu clunked against Miroku's knuckles.

"Ow," he muttered, hurriedly retracting his hand, his smile fading.

"Thank you, Miroku," Sango said again, her tone sickeningly sweet.

Miroku sighed, turning to Kirara. Ragged, bloodied and smeared with dirt and sweat, the very sight of Kirara made Miroku cringe; but he would do what Sango had asked of him.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Miroku tries to counsel Kirara, but is Kirara really the one in need of help and advise? **Chapter 14 – Miroku's Feelings**.


	14. Miroku's Feelings

**Recap:** Kagome returned to Kaede's village to visit home and collect more supplies with the help of Hachi. Kirara defeated a bear demon to recover another shard of the sacred jewel, whilst Sesshomaru and Kagura watched on. The gang started to head southwest, in search of more jewel shards, their chosen path taking them deeper into the Western Lands.

* * *

 **Chapter 14 – Miroku's Feelings**

'Another game. I am no fool. I know it is secretly the way of females to refuse the one they truly wish to accept, in some vain attempt to appear alluring and more feminine. You need not play such childish, pointless games with me. You have already expressed a desire to be with me, I do not need to hear your word upon the matter now.'

Kirara growled, the image of Sesshomaru's face as clear in her mind as ever. A violent burst of flames erupted around her, and she leapt into the air, transformed into her fire-cat form. With a ferocious snarl, she clamped her jaws into the snake demon hanging from the tree, biting down hard and shaking her head from side to side. The demon dissolved within her jaws, the speedy victory failing to deliver the satisfaction she sought.

'You stopped and looked back at me. And the morning you left me by the edge of the forest, you stopped and looked back at me again. You wanted me to chase you. A very coy tactic indeed.'

With another growl of sheer frustration, Kirara dissolved back into her human form, dropping to the ground to land on her feet.

"Kirara–"

"What?" she snapped, rounding on Miroku.

"Um, nothing!" he hurriedly replied, smiling nervously as he saw the enraged expression still etched deeply on her face.

Kirara saw Sango elbow Miroku in the ribs, and briefly wondered if she was missing something; but before her mind could focus on the matter, it presented her with another sickeningly clear picture of Sesshomaru's face.

'You have demonstrated time and time again that you desire to have me for your mate. Do not disrespect me so now by denying that it was your intention to lure me in with your wicked feminine charms and graces, so expertly used as to make me forget who I am and what I owe to my family name and the throne of the Western Lands.'

Kirara snarled, tearing her sword from its sheath and charging towards a nearby bush, which she was certain she had just seen something move behind. Slashing her sword through the middle of the bush, severing it in half, five songbirds squawked indignantly at Kirara, flying up into the air.

"Damn!" she growled.

'I have observed that the closer I move to you, the more you go out of your way to accentuate the alluring curves of your body.'

"Damn you…" she growled, tightening her grip on her sword.

"Kirara, look out!" Sango cried.

"Huh?"

Kirara spun around, frowning as she failed to see where the threat lay. She could sense a small demonic aura nearby, but could see nothing. As she turned to Sango for an explanation for her outburst, she saw her friend desperately trying to open a pot of poison.

'The view is equally as appealing from this angle.'

Kirara growled, relieved when she finally did manage to spot the danger, as it served as a temporary distraction from her mind's continual replay of Sesshomaru's conceding proposition. Something was winding its way through the ground towards her, darting and weaving in an attempt to catch her off guard. Kirara leapt up onto a rock, clasping her sword in both hands as she watched the ground moving, her eyes keenly fixed on what looked like a serpent of some sorts as it jerked and twisted through the earth.

"Die, demon!" she yelled, raising her sword above her head and leaping up into the air.

Kirara landed perfectly with her feet standing on either side of the snake, her sword stabbing directly into its body. It hissed and writhed, surfacing in an attempt to save itself.

"Not today, you filthy snake!" Kirara said darkly, twisting her blade.

She smiled to herself as the snake slowly darkened to a pile of ashes that blew away on the wind.

"Kirara, since we're near some water, why don't you clean yourself off?" Sango suggested.

"What?" Kirara echoed, looking down at herself. "You think I'm dirty?"

"You're covered in blood and sweat, go wash!" Inuyasha said bluntly.

"What he means is that we don't know where all that blood is coming from," Sango quickly added. "We can't tell if you're badly injured or not."

Kirara was sceptical, but she decided to accept Sango's excuse. Her body was still numb to anything and everything thanks to her demon spirit filling her veins with pure adrenaline. Turning to the nearby river, Kirara decided that dunking her body into cold, fast-moving water was probably the best thing to bring her to her senses.

Without removing her boots or armour, Kirara lay her sword down by the banks of the river and waded in until she was waist deep in water. She then squatted down, immersing herself in the water. Even through the gushing water, she could hear her friends talking about her as though they thought she could not hear them; but Kirara ignored their words, trying her best to calm her mind.

As her skin began to grow numb from the chill of the water and her body began to beg her to resurface for air, Kirara finally felt the demon spirit within her submit and fade. A small smile graced her lips as her mind began thinking about finding the next shards of the jewel, about finding Naraku and wondering if Kagome would be back soon. Kirara began to tell herself that she had made a foolhardy decision sending Kagome back to Kaede's village with only Hachi for protection; what if something bad happened? They would have no way of knowing if Kagome was alright unless Hachi had the gall to come and tell them so.

Kirara then began to feel guilty. She had sent Kagome back. It was her fault Kagome had needed to go back because she had failed to return to the group with the antidotes. It was her fault she got sidetracked when she was meant to return with them.

'You will toy with me no longer. You will be my mate.'

Kirara shot up out of the water, screaming loudly enough to make Inuyasha and Shippo cower over as they covered their ears.

"Kirara?" Sango yelped.

Kirara paused, a stinging pain in her right ankle suddenly making it far easier for her to forget all about Sesshomaru. Looking down through the water, she saw two red trails seeping from her ankle; something had bitten her. Looking desperately around for the culprit, Kirara eventually came to the conclusion that it could not have been anything more than a fish; but it had been a very painful bite, one that had been delivered with enough force to pierce right through her boot.

"What happened?" Sango asked, wading into the water towards her friend.

"Nothing," Kirara lied forcing a smile. "I just want to wash the blood from my clothes, I won't be long."

Sango nodded, but her expression told Kirara that she had done little to convince her that all was well. As Sango made her way back to dry land, Kirara ducked down under the surface of the water, almost choking as her ankle began to sting from the movement. Peering round at her foot, Kirara watched the blood float out from the wound, taking some relief from the fact that the flow of blood seemed to be weakening. With her demon powers, such a wound should heal in a matter of hours, she thought to herself.

Kirara stood up again, her face twitching involuntarily. Despite her mind trying to ignore her injury, it was certainly causing her a lot of pain. She set about scrubbing her hair and clothing and splashing water over her skin to clean off the effects of her battles. Glancing down occasionally to check on her ankle, Kirara strategically waited until all traces of blood were gone, and the water around her feet was clear once more, before tying her hair up at the sides of her head and wading back out of the water.

"Alright, let's go!" she said cheerfully, feeling suddenly wonderfully refreshed.

Kirara scooped up her sword, tying it back onto her belt. As she lifted her head she yelped at what she saw: the others had gone.

"Sango?" she called, looking desperately from side to side. "Inuyasha? Shippo?"

Kirara began to dash back and forth, her demon spirit starting to stir again as she began to panic.

"Sango!" she yelled. "Sango, where are you? Sango! Inuyasha! Inuyasha, can you hear me? Shippo! Is this a game, Shippo?"

Kirara stopped, staring dejectedly at the empty path ahead of her, the direction she was sure they would have been heading next.

"Don't you care that you couldn't find me?" a voice asked her.

Kirara mewed, leaping around to find Miroku standing behind her. She hissed, screwing up her face as she landed hard on her feet, her ankle throbbing.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Fine," she lied. "Where are the others?"

"They went on ahead," Miroku explained. "You know how impatient Inuyasha can be."

"Insensitive, more like!" Kirara grumbled. "They must have been moving very fast! Should I transform so that we can catch them up?"

"There's no hurry," Miroku assured her. "Why don't we just walk for now? I'm sure they'll stop sooner or later, we'll catch them up then."

Kirara frowned curiously at Miroku, but he merely smiled and began to walk on. With a silent sigh, Kirara followed after him, soon falling into pace with him.

"It must be very strange for you to be back in your human form," Miroku began.

Kirara turned to him questioningly, but he was looking straight ahead of them, and so she turned away again.

"Yes, it is," she replied honestly. "It has been so very, very long since I last had human form. And of course, back when I did have human form, it wasn't this body that I owned."

"It wasn't?" Miroku asked, casting a sideward glance at Kirara.

"No," she replied, shaking her head, her still wet hair slapping against the shoulder plates of her armour. "I was not much older than Shippo when Priestess Midoriko cast the spell on me. My human body was… Well, I suppose, much like that of Rin's, the young girl who travels with Lord Sesshomaru. I looked the same as I do now, but I was still a child."

"Oh."

"My parents had been killed, and, rather like Shippo, I set out to avenge their deaths by killing demons that terrorised humans. But, again just like Shippo, I was too young and too weak to do well on my own. I met Priestess Midoriko, who was only about fourteen years old then, and still in training as a priestess. We fought together for two years before she cast the spell on me."

"If you don't mind me asking Kirara, why did Midoriko put the spell on you? After two years together, surely she felt she could trust you?"

"Some of my family, fire-cat demons I had not seen for many years, came to Priestess Midoriko's village to take me back to their tribe. When I refused to go, they threatened to kill all the humans in the village. I pleaded with Priestess Midoriko to let me stay with her, but she said that it was too dangerous, that my family would always be looking for me. When I refused to go, she told me the only way to stop them coming back for me was for her to put the spell on me. She also said it was something she wanted to do because she didn't trust me not to turn against her when I was fully grown, and my instincts would make me want to go back to my family."

"Wow…"

"I'm not unhappy about it. I believe that this was my destiny. I enjoy helping others. The only part of my life that has saddened me is that us demons live so very much longer than you humans do. But on that point, I have often wondered if Inuyasha and Shippo are still alive in Kagome's era. I might even still be alive in 500 years' time."

"Life is a very precious thing."

Kirara paused, eying Miroku over thoughtfully at his last remark. She suspected she knew what he was thinking, and it pained her to think of it herself.

"You mean your life is precious," she said softly. "Because whilst a human life is but a short one, yours has been made even shorter by Naraku's curse."

"Indeed," Miroku agreed.

"Which is why you place so much important on siring an heir, someone to avenge the deaths of the male bloodline in your family should you fail."

"Yes. It's so good to hear a woman say that. It is the curse of the hand, I'm not a pervert really."

"First of all, I was only talking about the fact that you wish to have a family, and quite quickly. Secondly, the hole in your hand is no excuse, because even without it, you would still be a pervert, Miroku."

"I'm just misunderstood."

Kirara laughed and Miroku feigned offence.

"It's alright, I know that, when all is said and done, there is only really one woman you wish to have a family with," Kirara said slyly.

"Oh really?" Miroku responded, his face turning slightly pink. "Listening to you talk, I think Kagome may have been right about you, Kirara. You are like Sesshomaru."

"What?" Kirara echoed, turning her head to glare at Miroku.

"Well, you just claimed to know what my true thoughts and feelings are," Miroku calmly explained, ignoring the fire burning behind her eyes. "Isn't that the sort of assumption only someone like Sesshomaru would make?"

"Stop trying to change the subject, Miroku," Kirara recovered. "I know you care deeply for Sango."

Miroku's face turned a deeper shade of pink, and a small smile tugged at his lips.

"And the look on your face confirms my suspicions," Kirara added. "I must tell you though Miroku, Sango is my best friend, and I care for her like a sister. Her happiness is very important to me."

"I understand."

"Which is why I could not part with her to anyone but you, Miroku."

Miroku stopped walking, turning to face Kirara, his face paling as surprise dawned across his features.

"You are giving me your blessing to be with Sango?" he asked.

"Do you need my blessing to be with Sango?" Kirara asked, stopping and turning to face him, planting her hands on her hips.

"Well, no, not really…" Miroku said slowly, the pink tinge slowly returning to his face. "But I should like to have it. As you are all the family Sango has left, I would like to think that you were in agreement with it."

Kirara smiled warmly.

"Of course," she said. "It has been… Very trying, to say the least, watching you and Sango together all this time. Just like how it irked me that Inuyasha and Kagome would never tell each other how they both felt, it really annoyed me that you and Sango have never been more open with your feelings for each other."

"You mean Sango has feelings for me too?" Miroku asked.

Kirara grinned at the optimistic look on the monk's face, which promptly caused him to laugh nervously.

"Not that…" he began awkwardly. "Well, I was just… She likes me too?"

Kirara nodded slowly.

"I suppose you have the most honest view of us all, having observed us all in silence all this time," Miroku agreed. "You certainly managed to sort things out for Inuyasha and Kagome."

"Yes," Kirara said, nodding her head. "And now I intend to do exactly the same for you and Sango. But I think it's only fair that I should warn you now: if you ever do anything to hurt my friend, I will tear your heart out and feed it to the vultures, do you understand?"

"Perfectly!" Miroku yelped, holding up both hands in defeat as Kirara held up one fist by his chest.

"So, no more asking pretty girls to bear your children, and no more groping other women in places they do not wish to be groped, agreed?" Kirara pressed, holding her fist steady.

"No," Miroku said slowly, shaking his head.

"What?" Kirara growled, her eyes sparkling as she threatened to unleash her anger.

"I can't promise what you asked," Miroku replied solemnly. "Because I intend to ask one more pretty girl to bear my children, and I intend to touch her a lot more than I do right now…"

Kirara growled as she realised that Miroku was mocking her, but he merely laughed at her response.

"Come on, we need to catch up with the others," he said.

"Why did they go on without us, Miroku?" Kirara asked.

"Sango was worried about you, she asked me to talk to you," Miroku confessed. "But you seem to be fine now. Still as feisty as ever."

"Feisty?" Kirara echoed, her eyes flashing again.

"I didn't mean it as an insult!" Miroku hurriedly replied.

"No," Kirara said quietly, hanging her head. "Of course you didn't."

'It just reminded me of the last time someone used that word to describe me,' she thought to herself.

'I believe that I can douse the flame of that feisty attitude that you possess.'

Kirara stiffened, shaking her head violently as she tried again to physically remove all thoughts of Sesshomaru from her mind.

"Kirara!" Miroku yelped, cowering behind one arm as her wet hair slapped at his face.

"Oh sorry Miroku!" she said, stiffening. "I was just… You're right, we should get going if we want to catch up with the others."

"Right," Miroku said, walking on.

Miroku began wiping the water from his face, which Kirara was slightly glad of, as her face contorted in pain when she first began to walk on her bitten ankle again, which she did not wish him to know about.

"I hope Hachi manages to find us again," she commented, hoping to distract her mind from the persistent pain.

"I'm sure Kagome will keep him right," Miroku replied. "But we can expect them to be a few more days yet. Kagome was going home first, remember?"

"Of course," Kirara said, casting a nervous glance down at her ankle.

Gulping quietly, a cruel thought fleeted through Kirara's mind: the bite she had received must have been venomous. Casting her mind back to when she had been standing on top of the rock, waiting to pounce on the serpent below ground, she began to wonder if the reason it had appeared to move so quickly was because there had in fact been two of them. She had succeeded in killing one, but what about the other one? Such demons could breathe under water, and so it was not entirely unlikely that it had come after her. They had had such small demonic auras, it could easily have escaped her notice long enough to quickly bite her.

"I was just thinking about the antidote," Kirara said slowly. "If one of us were to become poisoned…"

"Let's pray that that does not happen," Miroku replied. "We are carrying no antidotes, and we are too far away from both Kaede and Jinenji to ask either of them for help now. By the time we had made the journey there and back, it would be too late."

"That's what I thought," Kirara said, a sinking feeling weighing down her stomach. "Let us pray then."

Miroku flashed a frown at her, but she quickly forced a smile, silently praying to every God she could think of that the bite had not been poisonous.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Miroku and Kirara rejoin the others as the day draws to a close, and the gang set up camp for the night. Sango and Kirara enjoy a girly chat before bedtime, but a nasty surprise awaits the gang when they wake the next morning. **Chapter 15 – Sango's Secret**.


	15. Sango's Secret

**Recap:** Kirara was bitten by something that she suspected to be poisonous, but she did not tell the others about it. Miroku confessed to Kirara that he cared deeply for Sango, and Kirara agreed that she would like to see the two together.

* * *

 **Chapter 15 – Sango's Secret**

"Kirara! Miroku!"

Kirara squinted, struggling to focus her eyes as she tried to concentrate on the blurring form of Sango ahead of them, standing waving down the hill at them.

"We've found them at last, Kirara," Miroku said, his voice sounding to Kirara as though he were under water.

"Hey, what took you so damn long?" Inuyasha yelled down to them.

"Did you have any luck finding any jewel shards?" Miroku called back to him, deciding to ignore his outburst.

"No," Inuyasha sarcastically replied. "But that's probably because we had to walk so slow waiting for you two to catch us up. What took you so long?"

Sango backhanded Inuyasha in the arm, causing him to growl out a "hey!" in response, scowling at her as he awaited an explanation for her actions; but Sango ignored him, walking down the hill to meet Miroku, who had walked ahead of Kirara.

"Well?" she whispered.

"All is well," Miroku whispered in reply.

"Thank you, Miroku!" Sango gushed, touching a hand to his arm.

Miroku smiled warmly at her, causing her to blush slightly and turn her head to one side.

"Kirara!" she recovered, stepping past Miroku to greet Kirara as she drew nearer. "I see you didn't manage to get all the blood stains out of your clothes, that's a pity."

Kirara dumbly nodded her head, Sango's words leaving her head almost as soon as they had entered it, leaving her wondering exactly what she was agreeing to.

"Never mind, Inuyasha kept some of Kagome's ramen and potato chips, so we have food for you both," Sango said, hooking her arm through Kirara's.

Sango started as she suddenly found Kirara leaning quite heavily on her as they walked.

"Are you alright, Kirara?" she asked, frowning up at her friend.

"Fine," Kirara lied. "Just a little tired."

"You'll feel much better once you've had some food," Sango said to her. "I kept back your favourite bag of potato chips. I had to hide them down my kimono to stop Inuyasha eating them first, but it worked!"

Kirara laughed softly at the thought of Sango hiding items inside her clothes, but stopped quickly as her laughter only made her already painful head throb even more. As soon as they were close to the fire Inuyasha and Shippo were still sat at, Kirara slid from Sango's side, gladly dropping into a sitting position, her shoulders slouched forwards.

"You really do miss those catnaps, don't you Kirara?" Miroku joked.

Kirara chose not to answer him, but mainly because she was beginning to find it too sore and tiring to breathe, let alone talk.

"Here you go," Sango said gently, sitting down next to Kirara and handing her the potato chips.

"Here you go, Kirara!" Shippo said brightly, offering her a half-eaten bowl of ramen.

"Shippo!" Sango snapped. "Did you start eating Kirara's dinner?"

"I was hungry," Shippo replied, trying to make his watery green eyes as big and adorable as possible, in the hope that Sango would not get angry with him if he looked too cute; after all, it was a technique he had successfully used on Kagome time and time again.

"And here I was worrying about Inuyasha…" Sango muttered.

"Sorry, Kirara," Shippo said, edging closer to her to put the bowl near her hand.

"No thanks," Kirara said hoarsely. "I'm not hungry. You finish it, Shippo."

"Really?" Shippo squealed, grinning in delight.

"No, not really!" Inuyasha barked, snatching the bowl from him and greedily finishing it himself.

"Hey!" Shippo wailed, grabbing at Inuyasha's leg. "That was mine!"

Sango shook her head and rolled her eyes as Inuyasha tried to shake Shippo off his leg, whilst Shippo tenaciously held on.

"We thought it would be best to stop here for the night, the path ends just ahead of here," Sango explained to Kirara, pointing onwards beyond the crest of the hill.

Kirara turned her head in the direction her friend pointed, finding that, oddly enough, the path did seem to simply vanish a short distance ahead of them. The grassy hill clearly had a bare earth path leading up to the summit that continued a short way along the top before suddenly stopping, a short stretch of longer grass lying beyond it, and a rather dense looking forest lying beyond that. Although the sun had already set, and Kirara's eyesight was failing her due to her dizziness, something about the appearance of the forest did not sit well in her mind. It seemed almost unreal somehow, and as she watched it, Kirara could see occasional sparks of a green flicker through the trees.

"Lights," she said dumbly, pointing at the forest.

"Yes, the fireflies are out," Sango replied calmly.

Kirara blinked repeatedly, once more questioning her condition; she was certain what had seen was not a mere firefly.

"I'm glad you caught up with us at last, I was getting bored being alone with two men," Sango joked, nudging Kirara with her shoulder.

She frowned as Kirara almost lost her balance from the gentle touch.

"Yes," Kirara said hurriedly, forcing a smile as she attempted once more to hide her condition from the others.

"I missed not having you to talk to, Kirara," Sango added. "Do you remember how we would sometimes go for walks when I couldn't sleep at nights? It never crossed my mind that you were maybe too tired to go with me, I just always took it for granted that would come."

"I enjoyed those times," Kirara replied.

"Oh good!" Sango said, her relief evident in her tone. "I would hate to think that I took you against your will."

"No," Kirara assured her. "I enjoyed those times, and I can still remember all of the things that you confided in me."

"All of the things that I confided in you?"

"Especially the things that you confided in me more recently…"

"Oh…?"

Sango began to blush, casting a glance at the others. She was mildly relieved to see that Inuyasha and Shippo were still wrestling with each other, with Miroku trying his best to separate them.

"You know I was happy the day you met Lord Kuranosuke," Kirara continued, focussing what little energy she had left on talking to Sango. "He was a good man, and I knew that he would take good care of you. And when we met him again recently, part of me hoped that you would choose to stay with him. But a bigger part of me is glad that you didn't. Although I didn't like Miroku at first, I've grown to like him, seeing him through your eyes, Sango."

"Through my eyes?" Sango asked nervously.

"Yes," Kirara confirmed. "On many of our late night walks, you have told me how you secretly like him very much, and you wish that he didn't flirt with others."

"You remember me saying that?" Sango muttered, her face turning a deep shade of red.

"Yes," Kirara replied with a small smile. "More importantly perhaps, very recently I remember you telling me that you actually like it that he constantly touches you the way he does."

Sango yelped, turning away from Kirara as her embarrassment become unbearable.

"It's alright, I haven't told anyone your little secret, Sango," Kirara assured her. "But Miroku and I did speak about you today."

"You did?" Sango echoed, turning back to face Kirara. "What did he say about me?"

Kirara quirked an eyebrow at Sango, and her face promptly turned a darker shade of red.

"Not that I really care…" Sango quickly added.

"He feels the same way about you, Sango," Kirara said softly. "And I told him that I was glad that he cared for you."

"Oh. Did you mean it? Are you glad?"

"Yes."

Sango smiled, wrapping an arm around Kirara's shoulders and pulling her closer.

"Thank you, Kirara," she whispered. "I'm very glad I made that wish."

"Me too, Sango," Kirara replied weakly. "Now go to Miroku."

Sango nodded, slipping her arm from Kirara and rising to her feet. Without Sango's support at her side, Kirara slumped to the ground her body splaying out in an ungraceful position across the ground. Sango failed to noticed Kirara's condition however, as she walked over to the others by the fire.

"Damn it, Shippo!" Inuyasha cursed as Shippo leapt up onto the slender branch of a sapling.

Whilst the tree was not strong enough to support Inuyasha's weight, it was easily tall enough to keep Shippo out of his reach.

"You little…" Inuyasha growled, waving a fist up at the little fox cub.

"Calm down, Inuyasha!" Miroku said to him.

Inuyasha grumbled indecipherable complaints under his breath, sitting down hard onto a nearby rock, glowering up at Shippo from the corner of his eye.

"Looks like Shippo got the better of Inuyasha even without Kagome here to tell him to sit," Sango said softly, sliding her arm around Miroku's elbow.

Miroku turned to her at the action, startled by the contact. Sango felt her cheeks burn, but she held his gaze, smiling softly up at him. Miroku smiled back at her, touching a hand to hers at it rested on his forearm.

"I missed you today," he said softly.

"I missed you too," Sango replied.

Both Miroku and Sango smiled nervously, their eyes dropping to their feet.

"And thank you again," Sango said quietly. "For talking to Kirara. That meant a lot to me, Miroku."

"No problem," Miroku replied.

Sango slowly lifted her eyes to Miroku, smiling shyly as their eyes locked once more. Miroku smiled back at her again, turning to face her fully and taking both her hands in his.

"Ah, knock it off you two!" Inuyasha barked. "You're really starting to bug me now, and Kirara's fallen asleep, she's so damn bored with you both!"

Sango looked back over her shoulder, laughing light-heartedly as she saw Kirara lying spread-eagled on the ground, dead to the world.

"Poor Kirara!" she chuckled. "She's had a tough day, she really must be tired!"

"Yeah, and I'm tired of you two yapping so much, so shut-up and go to sleep already," Inuyasha grumbled, before shuffling around on the rock to turn his back to Sango and Miroku.

Sango arched her eyebrows, but Miroku merely smiled and shook his head.

"He's right, it has been a long day," Miroku said softly. "Let's get some sleep."

Sango nodded and the two set about settling down by the fire for the night.

* * *

"Kirara, come on, you have to get up!" Sango called over to Kirara.

"She hasn't moved all night!" Shippo pointed out, frowning over at Kirara's limp form.

"She was very tired," Miroku said.

Inuyasha sniffed at the air, a small frown appearing on his face.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked him.

"Kirara isn't well," he quietly replied.

"What?" Sango yelped. "Kirara!"

Sango ran over to Kirara's side, dropping to her knees and paling in alarm as she saw that Kirara was lying perfectly still, her skin unnaturally pale and her lips almost blue.

"Kirara, no!" she wailed.

The others hurried over to Kirara's side, Miroku getting to her first. He hurriedly dropped down opposite Sango, touching a hand to Kirara's neck.

"She's still alive, but she's very ill," he said, looking across at Sango.

"I don't understand!" Sango sobbed, tears bubbling up in her eyes. "She was fine last night, what could have happened to her?"

"Wait a minute…" Inuyasha muttered, touching a hand to Kirara's right foot.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha did not answer the monk, instead hurriedly removing Kirara's boot, recoiling at what he found. Sango quickly shuffled over to look for herself, gasping in alarm at what she saw.

"She's been bitten by something!" Sango said.

"Yeah, something poisonous by the looks of it," Inuyasha added.

Miroku crawled down to Kirara's feet, leaning over her legs to study the wound.

"Hm," he mumbled, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That's not a new wound, it can't have happened through the night."

"You mean she was poisoned a long time ago?" Sango echoed.

"It's just lucky that she's a demon," Inuyasha mused. "Otherwise she'd be dead for sure by now."

"What?" Sango yelped.

"Unfortunately, it may be too late to help her," Miroku said slowly, wincing at the pain that crossed Sango's face with his words. "Without any antidotes, we're at the mercy of Kagome arriving back."

"Kagome won't be back for days!" Shippo pointed out. "Kirara might die before then!"

"No," Sango whispered.

"Days?" Inuyasha snorted. "She'll be lucky if she lives through the next few hours."

"No!" Sango cried, standing up.

"And where do you think you're going?" Inuyasha asked her.

"To get help, of course!" Sango retorted impatiently.

"Let Inuyasha go for help, he can travel much faster than you can, Sango," Miroku advised.

"Inuyasha needs to stay here with Kirara," Sango argued. "He's the only one strong enough to carry her to the next village for help."

"But there aren't any villages anywhere near here!" Shippo wailed. "Kirara's going to die!"

"Shut-up, Shippo!" Inuyasha snapped. "You're not helping!"

"What about the forest?" Miroku suggested, rising to his feet, nodding his head in the direction of the dense forest that lay ahead of them.

"The forest?" Sango echoed, turning to look over her shoulder at it.

"There may be some herbs in there that can help Kirara stay stable until we can get an antidote for the poison," Miroku continued, stepping over Kirara and walking along the path.

"Should we split up?" Sango asked Inuyasha.

"No," Inuyasha replied. "Help me get Kirara onto my back."

"Right."

As Shippo sobbed by Kirara's feet, Sango and Inuyasha carefully lifted her onto Inuyasha's back. Shippo grabbed up Kirara's boot, hugging onto it as he got to his feet. Sango and Inuyasha started after Miroku, with Shippo dragging his feet behind them, his head hanging low.

Ahead of them, Miroku reached the abrupt end of the path, lifting a foot to step onto the stretch of longer grass that preceded the forest.

"Ah!" he cried.

"Huh?" Sango muttered, frowning as Miroku was thrown through the air, landing by her feet.

"What happened?" Inuyasha asked him.

"It's a barrier," Miroku replied.

"A barrier?" Sango repeated, offering a hand to Miroku.

As Sango helped Miroku to his feet, Inuyasha and Shippo approached the end of the path, stopping before they reached the apparent edge of the barrier. Inuyasha frowned, looking upwards.

"I don't see any barrier!" Shippo said.

"Would you like me to throw you over there and we can see what happens?" Inuyasha growled down at him.

Shippo yelped, leaping back a step in fear.

"There!" Inuyasha said as Miroku and Sango joined him. "Can you see that?"

"The green lights…" Sango said slowly, concentrating her attention on the small green sparks of light that sporadically shot across the trees. "They're not fireflies…"

"It's the energy of the barrier," Miroku mused. "It must be a very powerful barrier."

"Nothing's too powerful for my Tetsusaiga," Inuyasha said confidently. "Take Kirara for me."

Miroku carefully lifted Kirara from Inuyasha's back, holding her in his arms. Together with Sango and Shippo, Miroku took a few steps back, allowing Inuyasha sufficient space to aim a blow at the barrier.

"A barrier this powerful has gotta belong to Naraku!" Inuyasha declared as he pulled the Tetsusaiga from its sheath. "And this time, he won't get away!"

Inuyasha swung his sword downwards a wave of energy blasting forth from the blade and crashing into the barrier. Inuyasha held his sword tightly in place, his face faltering at what he saw. The barrier appeared to be weakening, but it was not dissolving as he had expected it to.

"What's going on?" he yelled.

"The barrier's too strong, Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled back to him.

"No way!" Inuyasha snarled, raising his sword up and slashing forwards to deliver another blow to the barrier.

Inuyasha began to smirk smugly as the barrier bent from the force of his second shot, curving and distorting before his eyes.

"It's breaking up, Inuyasha!" Miroku called to him.

"You did it, Inuyasha!" Sango cried in delight.

"Way to go, Inuyasha!" Shippo cheered.

Inuyasha's smirk widened into a grin as the barrier burst into a myriad of glowing green blobs, each of which popped out of existence in a matter of seconds. Inuyasha hoisted the Tetsusaiga up to rest it on one shoulder to allow him the opportunity to admire his handiwork; however Inuyasha's confident grin vanished at what he saw.

"Wow!" Shippo gasped.

"What is this place?" Sango whispered.

"It's like nothing I've ever seen before," Miroku said.

"It's huge!" Shippo said.

"It's a castle of some sorts," Sango said.

"Yes, but it's not one of Naraku's castles," Miroku said.

"Look at all the pretty trees and flowers and fields!" Shippo said.

"It's like something from a fairy tale," Sango said.

"I wonder if I could convince the servants to let us stay for a night…" Miroku said.

"This place is so big, I bet even the servants have servants, and even they have huge rooms!" Shippo said.

"It's so beautiful," Sango said.

"It's so immense," Miroku said.

"It's so amazing!" Shippo said.

"It's unbelievable," Sango said.

"It's unusual," Miroku said.

"It's perfect!" Shippo said.

"It's Sesshomaru's castle," Inuyasha grunted, dropping the Tetsusaiga back into its scabbard.

"What?" Sango and Miroku echoed, turning sharply to face him.

"I thought I knew that path we were walking on," Inuyasha grumbled. "And only a jackass like Sesshomaru would put up such a strong barrier around his castle. He was always so damn scared someone would steal his treasures. Jackass."

"This is where your brother lives?" Sango asked, her eyes wide with disbelief. "But it's so beautiful!"

"Sesshomaru owns all of this?" Miroku asked. "Didn't your father leave you anything, Inuyasha?"

"I didn't want anything, anyway," Inuyasha growled. "And I hate it here, I swore I would never come back. But I guess I've got no other choice right now."

Inuyasha sighed, lifting Kirara out of Miroku's arms.

"What are you doing, Inuyasha?" Sango asked nervously.

"Think about it, stupid," Inuyasha replied. "What's my brother's most deadly attack?"

"His poison claws and fangs?" Miroku offered.

"Exactly," Inuyasha said with a nod of his head. "If there are any good poison antidotes in this area, this will be the best place to find them."

"But…" Sango began, glancing back and forth between the castle and Kirara limp form in Inuyasha's arms.

"I don't think we have much choice, Sango," Miroku said gently.

"Damn right we don't!" Inuyasha snapped. "I don't wanna be here any more than you do, but if we don't do something quickly, Kirara's gonna die!"

"We have to save Kirara!" Shippo cried.

"You're right," Sango agreed. "I only hope your brother is feeling in a charitable mood today, Inuyasha."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** With nowhere else to go, the gang enter Sesshomaru's home and Sango pleads for assistance. What will become of Kirara? **Chapter 16 – Sesshomaru's Castle**.


	16. Sesshomaru's Castle

**Recap:** As Sango and Miroku shared a tender moment and Inuyasha and Shippo fought over the last bowl of ramen, no-one noticed that Kirara was ill until the next morning. Unconscious and suffering from the effects of a poisonous bite, the gang took Kirara to the nearest place they could for help, which just so happened to be…

* * *

 **Chapter 16 – Sesshomaru's Castle**

The gang ran across a field of flowers, barely noticing the beauty around them as they headed for the front entrance to the gargantuan fortress ahead of them.

"There's just one thing I don't understand," Miroku said as they ran.

"What's that?" Sango asked.

"Well, surely Sesshomaru has noticed that someone has broken through his barrier," Miroku replied. "Why hasn't he rebuilt it yet?"

"I'm more worried about why we're still alive," Inuyasha said darkly. "Never mind about the barrier, Sesshomaru must be able to sense us by now."

"And yet he hasn't done anything," Miroku pointed out. "Don't you think it's unusual?"

"I don't really care right now," Sango said. "Let's just concentrate on helping Kirara."

"I wish Kagome was here," Shippo sighed.

"Yeah, if she'd come back with some poison antidote, it sure would have made things a lot easier," Inuyasha mused.

"How ironic that it was Kirara who lost the antidotes in the first instance," Miroku added.

"This isn't Kirara's fault!" Sango hurriedly pointed out. "This is all Sesshomaru's fault! The least he can do now is help her! He was the one who stopped Kirara returning with the antidotes, and he was the one who caused her to act the way she did when she got bitten. And if he comes out here, I'm going to tell him that to his face!"

"Do you mean that Sango?" Shippo asked.

"Yes I do!" Sango stubbornly replied.

"Because here he comes now!" Shippo said meekly.

"What?" Miroku gasped, skidding to a halt.

The others stopped around him, tilting their heads upwards as the two-headed dragon demon Ah-Un swooped down through the air towards them.

"He's going to attack us!" Sango said, grabbing her Hiraikotsu.

"Wait Sango, that's not Sesshomaru," Inuyasha said hurriedly. "It's too weak to be him."

Sango lessened her grip on her weapon, but did not release it completely. Ah-Un landed softly in front of them, and a small, slender female slid off its back, walking around to stand in front of the dragon. Inuyasha sniffed at the air, eying her over curiously. She was obviously a demon, but a very, very weak one. Her small stature and slight build seemed to reflect her poor power level. She was dressed in what looked like several layers of silk kimonos, all of which were far too big for her. She had thick, russet-blonde hair, which was tied up on the top of her head, and small, delicate blue eyes.

"Lord Inuyasha!" she cried suddenly, opening out her arms and stumbling over to Inuyasha.

"Huh?" Inuyasha squeaked as she gripped her hands into the material of his haori, pressing her cheek against his chest and closing her eyes, a large, content smile spreading across her face.

"You know this woman, Inuyasha?" Sango whispered to him.

"No!" Inuyasha wailed, his face turning red.

"Oh my Lord, I thought I would never see you again!" the female demon gushed, stepping back from Inuyasha to kneel before him.

"Something you want to tell us, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, folding his arms.

"Um…" Inuyasha began nervously.

"Forgive me, my Lord!" the demon continued, rising to her feet and wiping a tear from her eye with one of the many sleeves of her multiple kimonos. "I am just so pleased that you have finally returned to the Royal Inu Palace!"

"The what?" Inuyasha muttered.

"And you've brought all your friends with you!" she squealed, clapping her hands together in delight. "Master Jaken has told me all about your friends, Lord Inuyasha! Oh, how I have longed to meet them!"

"She's starting to scare me!" Shippo whispered, tugging at Miroku's robes.

"You!" she said, pointing at Miroku. "The philandering monk with the hole in his hand!"

Miroku laughed nervously in response.

"And you!" she continued, pointing at Sango, the tip of her finger barely visible at the end of her sleeve. "The last surviving demon-slayer from the demon-slayers' village!"

"Yes…" Sango said slowly.

"And you must be the naughty little fox cub!"

Shippo yelped, leaping behind Miroku's legs in fear as the woman bent down and reached her hands out towards him.

"But where is your human mate, Lord Inuyasha?" she asked, straightening up once more. "And who is this creature?" she added, pointing at Kirara, who was still slumped over Inuyasha's back.

"Listen lady," Inuyasha began. "I don't know who you are–"

"This is our friend Kirara," Sango interrupted him, stepping forwards to confront the demon. "She has been badly poisoned, and she desperately needs help."

"Oh, how terrible!" the demon said, her eyes widening. "Then you must take her inside at once! I have just the cure!"

Inuyasha grumbled under his breath about her having more than just the cure, but the others ignored him.

"Follow me!" she said brightly, turning and walking back towards the castle.

"So…" Miroku began as they walked on. "You live here?"

"Yes dear," she replied with a nod of her head. "My name is Rinko."

"Rinko?" Inuyasha muttered, leaning forwards to study the woman's profile.

On closer inspection, he could see that, despite her almost childlike demeanour, she was an aging demon. Her hair was tinged with dull hints of grey, and the edges of her eyes and mouth were crinkled and worn.

"I remember that name…" Inuyasha mused.

"I was employed by the late Lord Inutaisho many years ago as a nursemaid for his firstborn son," Rinko explained. "And I remember the day that you were born, Lord Inuyasha, just like it was yesterday!"

"Can you stop calling me Lord Inuyasha already?" Inuyasha grumbled.

"Miss Rinko, is the Lord of the castle at home?" Miroku asked politely, casting a glance at Sango as he spoke, who nodded her agreement with his choice of words.

"Oh dear me no!" Rinko replied, letting out a small laugh. "His Lordship is so rarely at the castle of late! He has been pursuing the demon Naraku, perhaps you have heard? Although Master Jaken has told me that our Lord will be returning shortly."

"Jaken's here?" Inuyasha asked.

"Oh yes," Rinko replied, her smile unfaltering as she spoke. "And Ah-Un, and of course, the young Miss Rin."

"So where the hell is Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha asked.

"Oh, I believe he was making preparations for the union ceremony," Rinko replied.

"Union ceremony?" Sango echoed, her eyes widening in alarm.

"Oh yes."

"Sesshomaru's getting married already?" Inuyasha asked.

"And what a happy day it will be for us all!"

Sango paled, casting a glance at Kirara, almost relieved to find her still out cold.

"It has been too long since there were young pups in the castle!" Rinko bubbled, oblivious to the disgust she was causing around her. "What a joyous time it will be when our Lord returns with his Lady!"

"We have to move faster!" Sango said urgently. "Miss Rinko, we are searching for Naraku too, and our friend Kagome will be looking for us, we just need an antidote for Kirara, and then we'll be on our way. We don't want to trouble you."

"Oh but you must stay!" Rinko replied. "It's no trouble at all!"

"Stay? In the castle?" Miroku asked, a glimmer of greedy optimism passing over his eyes as they began to ascend the steps to the grand entrance doors.

"But of course!" Rinko replied.

"I don't wanna stay here," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Nor do I," Sango hurriedly added.

"Surely one night won't do any harm?" Miroku asked. "We could get some food, have a good night's rest, and then leave in the morning. Sesshomaru won't be back before then, will he?"

"Oh I don't think so dear," Rinko replied, a small frown appearing on her face. "Master Jaken told me that our Lord was having some difficulties with his Lady. Do you know, I think she even refused him at first!"

"Just the antidote!" Sango blurted, her voice unnaturally loud. "We'll just take the antidote and leave immediately!"

"Here we are!" Rinko said cheerfully, bowing politely to the two armoured demons who opened one of the two giant front doors for them.

"Oh…" Miroku gasped.

"Wow!" Shippo said, his high-pitched voice echoing around the hall.

"This is where Sesshomaru lives?" Sango asked, her eyes slowly moving around the grand entrance hall they stood in. "But it's so beautiful and welcoming!"

Sango again cast a glance at Kirara, silently wondering if her friend had any idea just how rich the man she had refused really was.

"Ah yes, this poor young girl has been poisoned," Rinko said as two more demons hurried over to greet the gang. "Please, take her to the recovery wing and see that she is taken good care of."

"Recovery wing?" Sango yelped, turning to Rinko as the other servants lifted Kirara from Inuyasha's back. "Just how big is this place?"

"Come now my dears, you must be tired," Rinko said. "I shall show you to your rooms, you can stay in the visitors' wing. And once you have rested, you can join me for lunch in the staff dining hall."

"The staff have their own dining hall?" Sango asked weakly.

"Oh yes," Rinko replied. "The servants serve us there."

"The staff have servants?" Sango asked, almost choking on her own words.

"Of course," Rinko calmly replied. "The servants have their own dining hall and sleeping quarters."

Sango whimpered, looking around the serene, white marble hall, her face twisting.

"Come on, Sango," Miroku encouraged her, touching a hand to her shoulder.

"Miss Rinko?" Shippo asked.

"Yes, my dear?" she responded.

"Are you a fox demon too?"

"Yes my dear."

"Cool."

* * *

Kirara groaned, recoiling from the cold object by her face instinctively. But it came at her again. Again she groaned and turned her head to one side, her top lip quivering as a small growl rumbled in her throat.

"Kirara?" she heard a voice say.

"Hm?" she growled, reaching up a hand to swipe away the coldness by her head.

"Kirara, you're awake!"

Kirara opened her eyes, blinking several times as she tried to collect her thoughts.

"Oh Kirara, how do you feel?" Sango asked her, reaching the cold damp cloth towards her forehead again.

"Stop that," Kirara replied, swatting at Sango's hand.

"I was so worried about you, Kirara!" Sango said, obediently retracting her hand.

"What happened to me?" Kirara asked.

"You were bitten by a poisonous serpent," Sango explained. "But you're going to be alright now!"

Kirara frowned, poking at the heavy layers of animal furs lying over her body.

"Where am I?" she asked, looking around the room she was in curiously.

"You've been unconscious for almost two whole days, Kirara!" Sango replied. "When we woke up back at our camp yesterday morning, you were out cold. You had been out all night. You didn't wake up all day yesterday day, you slept all night last night, and you've slept right through this morning! It's halfway through the afternoon already!"

"What's that smell?" Kirara asked, sniffing at the air as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"If you were a human, you would have died from that bite, Kirara," Sango replied, again ignoring Kirara's question.

Kirara straightened her back, the furs slipping off her torso. She paused, before looking down at herself. Kirara let out an indignant mew at what she saw, grabbing the furs in her hands and pulling them up to her shoulders.

"Where are my clothes?" she demanded.

"Miss Rinko burned them, she said something about you being too dirty for…" Sango quietly replied, her voice trailing off. "She insisted on making you new clothes," she recovered.

"Miss Rinko?" Kirara echoed. "Who is Miss Rinko?"

"She's the nice lady who helped you recover," Sango replied.

Kirara narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and Sango promptly turned her head away, hiding her guilty expression from her friend.

"Has Kagome come back yet?" Kirara asked.

"No," Sango replied without turning round.

"Then we should go back for her," Kirara said decisively, raking the furs from her body. "Hachi has probably gotten lost, or is too afraid to come all this way."

Sango turned back as she heard Kirara's bare feet thump against the wooden floor.

"Kirara, you should be resting," she advised.

"I'm going to look for Kagome," Kirara replied. "After all, it's my fault that she's not here right now. I sent her back alone with Hachi. I should have gone with her myself we would have been back by now. And I wouldn't have been poisoned. I've caused enough problems for you all and held you all up long enough. I must do this."

"Kirara, you can't go looking for Kagome dressed like that," Sango said firmly, rising to her feet.

Kirara turned to face her, tilting her head in confusion. Sango folded her arms, her eyebrows lowering into a motherly frown. Kirara looked down at herself, noting that she was wearing nothing more than a length of white cloth wrapped around her torso and a thin, white silk skirt that hung on her hips and fell to barely below her knees.

"What else can I do if Miss Rinko burned my clothes?" Kirara asked matter-of-factly. "And I hope you saved my armour and sword from her."

"Yes," Sango replied. "But I took them to my room, I didn't trust you not to try to run away."

Kirara frowned at Sango's remark, but again Sango avoided her eyes.

"Here you are," Sango said, trying to change the subject again. "Miss Rinko had this lovely kimono made for you."

Kirara hissed, curling her top lip as Sango held out a soft pink silk kimono towards her, the collar, one shoulder and both sleeves of which had been embroidered with an unusual emblem.

"I can't wear that, I'm a warrior," Kirara said.

"Alright, but you should be resting in bed for now anyway," Sango replied. "Why don't you lie down, and I'll get you some food? You must be hungry!"

Kirara paused, looking thoughtful for a moment before smiling sweetly.

"Alright," she said. "Thank you, Sango."

Sango nodded her head, walking out of the room and closing the door softly behind her. Kirara waited until Sango's footsteps had faded from even the range of her demon ears before grabbing up the pink kimono Sango had left for her and hurriedly pulling it on.

"Miss Rinko must be blind…" she muttered, looking down at herself in her new clothing.

The sleeves barely covered her elbows, and the bottom of the kimono was only a little longer than the under-skirt she was wearing.

Shaking her head and trying to ignore the grogginess that still hung around her, Kirara crept over to the window, pushing open the shutters. Without a second thought, Kirara climbed out of the window, dropping down to the roof of a long, low building below. She then slid down the slope of the roof, jumping off to land on a pile of hay.

Kirara paused, trying to ignore the fact that she was still a little weak and tired. She was too curious to learn more about her surroundings to let her poor health slow her down; and again, she brushed aside the idea that curiosity was deadly for cats.

Stepping up out of the hay, Kirara started to walk away from the building behind her, becoming both confused and captivated by what she saw. She was in the grounds of an impossibly large fortress of some sorts, the sheer size of which dwarfed even the largest of castles she had visited during her days as a demon-slayer. Walking further away from the castle, Kirara soon found herself in a grassy field that rolled over the slope of a hill, at the bottom of which was a wide, shallow pond.

Kirara started towards the water, tensing as she began to sense a demonic aura. As she walked, Kirara began to realise that the demonic aura was getting closer to her, as if something were chasing her. As it was a slightly larger demonic power than she usually encountered, Kirara began to sniff cautiously at the air, tensing her muscles in preparation of having to either fight or run.

A sudden roaring sound caused Kirara to mew, stopping short and almost falling over from shock and her generally less than fit condition. Once she had recovered, she turned around to find a two-headed dragon demon standing behind her. Frowning curiously, she reached a hand out towards it, starting in alarm as it moved closer to her, pushing one of its heads affectionately against her palm.

Kirara smiled softly as she realised that the creature was no threat. It reminded her of the dragon demon Ah-Un that Sesshomaru kept as a servant; but, she told herself, there was no way that this could possibly be the same creature.

For lack of anything better to do until she had figured out where she was, Kirara followed the dragon down to the pond, frowning at the stitching on the sleeves of her kimono as she walked. The stitching seemed to form hexagonal shapes with flower-like symbols in the centre of them, an image she was certain she knew from somewhere. Kirara briefly wondered if the emblems held some sort of clue as to where she was, but again she dismissed the idea.

The dragon demon lowered both its heads to the water, drinking softly, the light lapping sound becoming oddly soothing to Kirara. She closed her eyes, relaxing as she concentrated her attentions on just the sounds of the dragon's heads drinking and the sweet smell of flowers in the air.

Kirara was shortly awoken from her reverie though as a sudden blast of cold water hit her in the face. Blinking and shaking her head to clear the water from her face, her indignant frown gave way to a smile as she saw the dragon demon spitting water around playfully. Kirara ducked down as the dragon spat at her with its other head, failing to see its tail swinging around towards her. Before Kirara could stop herself, the dragon's tail whipped her feet out from under her and she landed in the shallow pond, splashing mud and water all around her.

Kirara laughed, looking down at the now drenched and filthy kimono she wore.

"That will teach Miss Rinko to commission such an impractical garment for a warrior like me…" she mused.

Kirara slyly scooped up some slimy mud from the floor of the pond, standing abruptly and flinging the contents of her hands at the dragon. It growled, bucking playfully before splashing more water at her with one head. Kirara laughed again, turning her back on the beast to gather up more mud from under the surface of the water. Behind her she heard the dragon snort and leap up, obviously in an attempt to fly out of her reach.

"Oh no you don't!" Kirara said, spinning around and hurling a handful of slimed mud at the point where the dragon had last been standing.

Kirara gasped in horror as her mud-ball hit a woman hard in the face, splashing down over her clothes. Kirara began to cringe as she took in the woman's appearance: she was obviously a demon, and dressed in the finest clothing Kirara had ever seen, which was a clear sign of her exceptionally high rank in society. Kirara glanced over the woman's shoulder, her face twisting further as she saw the dragon demon flying away from her, flying low to the ground.

Deciding she should really explain herself, Kirara turned her attentions back to the woman before her, ready to apologise profusely. However, Kirara suddenly become aware of a shadow by the woman's side. Turning her head, Kirara's jaw slowly fell open at what she saw. Although he was not wearing his usual armour or carrying any weapons, the man standing by the woman's side was definitely Sesshomaru.

"Damn…" Kirara breathed, closing her eyes and hanging her head.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Kirara is devastated to learn that she has been recuperating in none other than Sesshomaru's home, and she wants to leave immediately. However, when she confronts her friends, her demands are met with an unexpected response. **Chapter 17 – Jaken's Jealousy**.


	17. Jaken's Jealousy

**Recap:** The gang arrived at Sesshomaru's castle, but the lord himself was not there. The staff of the castle took the gang in and treated Kirara's poisoned bite. When Kirara awoke, she took a tour of the grounds, where she had an encounter with a female demon and Sesshomaru himself.

* * *

 **Chapter 17 – Jaken's Jealousy**

Kirara slowly opened her eyes again, cringing in anticipation of what was to come next. To her surprise, the female demon suddenly began to cry, the shrill, offensive sound of her sobs taking a moment to pain Kirara's ears in her shock. As the sound began to grate on Kirara's nerves, she slowly shifted her eyes to Sesshomaru, starting in alarm as she saw him narrow his eyes at her. Deciding that it was in her best interests to get out of his sight as quickly as possible at such a moment, Kirara leapt up out of the water, transforming into her fire-cat form and soaring back to the castle.

Kirara was aiming for the window of the room she had escaped from, but as she neared the castle, she sighted Sango below her, holding out her arms for something. Swerving around towards her friend, Kirara was relieved to see Kagome running towards her.

"Kagome!" Sango said, taking Kagome's hands in hers.

"Kirara!" Kagome said cheerfully as Kirara dropped down behind Sango.

"Kirara?" Sango muttered, looking over her shoulder.

Kirara hurriedly morphed back into her human form, ignoring the horrified expressions that appeared on her friends' faces as she did so.

"What is this place?" she asked Sango.

"Yeah, what is this place, Sango?" Kagome asked. "There was a really strong barrier back there!"

"Barrier?" Sango yelped in alarm.

"Yeah," Kagome replied. "It went up just as Hachi and I got here. He ran outside of it, but I was still inside when it went up."

"The barrier has just gone up?" Sango asked.

"What sort of place needs a barrier like that?" Kirara asked.

"There are so many demonic auras around here!" Kagome added.

"That's because all of Sesshomaru's servants are demons too!" Shippo chirped, leaping into Kagome's arms and cuddling up to her. "I'm glad you're back, Kagome!"

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome repeated.

"Servants?" Kirara repeated.

"Well…" Sango began awkwardly, her dark brown eyes turning skywards as she tried to formulate a suitable response.

"Yeah!" Shippo said brightly. "Kirara was bitten by a poisonous serpent demon, we had to find someone to help her. Lucky for us we found Sesshomaru's castle!"

"What?" Kirara yelped, spinning around to look at the building Shippo was pointing at.

"Whoa!" Kagome gasped. "Inuyasha's brother owns all of this?"

"You took me to Sesshomaru when I needed help?" Kirara wailed, turning back to Sango as she grabbed at her hair in despair.

"No, Kirara," Sango hurriedly replied. "We took you here because this was the nearest place with an antidote. But it's alright, Sesshomaru isn't here right now."

"Oh yes he is!" Kirara growled. "I just saw him down by the pond!"

"It looks like you were just in the pond, Kirara!" Kagome joked. "What happened to you?"

Kirara blushed, tugging at the bedraggled pink kimono that barely hung on to her frame.

"I-I fell…" she said nervously, her eyes lowering to her feet in shame.

"Okay…" Kagome said slowly, her eyebrows slowly drawing together to form a questioning frown.

"Did you say Sesshomaru was back, Kirara?" Sango asked, turning to Kirara.

"Yes," Kirara replied with a sigh. "He's down by the pond with a female demon."

"A female demon?" Sango repeated. "That must be…"

"The princess!" Shippo cheerfully finished for her.

"The what?" Kirara squeaked.

"Miss Rinko made a special pink kimono for the princess," Shippo continued. "It looks just like the one you're wearing, Kirara!"

Kirara turned sharply to Sango, who paled, her eyes widening.

"Is this…?" Kirara began quietly, tugging at the ruined silk material at her hips.

"Miss Rinko said she was making it for the woman Sesshomaru wished to take as his mate!" Sango whispered back.

"And you assumed that was me?" Kirara wailed.

"Well…" Sango began, shrugging her shoulders.

Kirara cried out in despair, running blindly back into the castle. Sango watched her go before rounding on Shippo.

"Sometimes Shippo, I can understand why Inuyasha gets so angry with you," she said, before spinning on one foot and hurrying after Kirara.

Kagome tilted her head to one side, watching until Sango had disappeared from sight.

"Welcome back, Kagome," she grumbled. "Did you get the antidotes alright Kagome? Did you enjoy your trip home Kagome?"

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Kagome slowly made her way into the castle.

* * *

Kirara ran down a seemingly never-ending corridor, glancing nervously from side to side as she passed giant paintings and tapestries depicting dog demons in battle. She could not deny that it was Sesshomaru's castle – every inch of the place was laced with his scent – but something inside of her refused to believe that this really was his home. It was far too beautiful and far too vast.

Skidding and staggering ungracefully, Kirara turned down a sub-corridor of the one she was on, sniffing desperately at the air as she tried to trace either her own scent back to the room she had been in, or at least the scents of any of her friends. But there were so many scents around her, Kirara's senses were becoming excessively overwhelmed, making it almost impossible to distinguish any individual scent; apart from Sesshomaru's, which was literally everywhere.

Kirara began to wonder if death would have been preferable to having to be in the situation she had ended up in: sickly and at the mercy of none other than Lord Sesshomaru. As the idea bounced around her mind, and the scent of dog demon grew thicker and stronger in the air, Kirara suddenly realised that she was no longer alone in the corridor.

With a quiet gasp of alarm, Kirara leapt to one side, pressing her back against the wall and slipping behind one of the floor-length hanging tapestries. Barely even allowing herself to breathe for fear of being caught, Kirara watched through the microscopic holes in the canvas as a demon approached, dressed in long, flowing robes, followed closely by a shorter demon, carrying a large staff.

"Please, I beg you to reconsider!"

'Jaken,' Kirara thought to herself as the shrill voice of Sesshomaru's most loyal servant echoed around her.

"I will not stay here a moment longer," a haughty, unfamiliar female voice answered Jaken's pleas. "I cannot stay in a place that plays host to humans and cat demons alike."

"Cat demons?" Jaken echoed, stopping as the female in front of him walked on, her nose turned up high in the air.

"Tell your master that I am returning home now, and should he wish for my company again, he will need to request it and he will need to send for me," she replied.

As the woman passed Kirara, Kirara held her breath for fear of being spotted; but she did notice two distinguishing features the woman possessed. Firstly, she was the same woman Kirara had splashed with mud down by the pond earlier, although she had since changed her clothing and cleaned off all traces of dirt from her face and hair. And secondly, she was a dog demon.

"Cats are filthy, unfaithful, single-minded, self-centred liars," the dog demon said, pausing and turning her head towards Kirara.

Kirara stiffened as the woman fixed her eyes onto her, narrowing them into dangerous slits of gold as she stared directly at her as though there was no canvas between them.

"But Milady," Jaken began, stumbling up to her side.

"You will relay my message to your master, toad," she said, lowering her eyes to Jaken.

"Of course Milady, but I…"

Jaken's voice faded as the female dog demon walked on without him. Once she was out of sight, Jaken turned his head towards the tapestry Kirara stood behind. Whilst she had accepted that the dog demon had doubtlessly been able to sense her presence there, Kirara felt confident that Jaken was ignorant to her presence.

"Pesky cat!" Jaken suddenly yelled, holding his Staff of Skulls up towards the tapestry.

Kirara yelped in fear as the canvas caught fire, leaping out into the hallway, landing in front of Jaken.

"I knew it was you!" Jaken screeched. "How did you get in here? How was it possible for you to pass through Lord Sesshomaru's barrier?"

Kirara opened her mouth to reply, before a playful grin tugged the corners of her mouth upwards, and her mind presented her with a better retort.

"I didn't pass through the barrier," she said slyly. "Lord Sesshomaru let me in."

"Wha-at?" Jaken gasped, his horrified expression suggesting to Kirara that he had actually believed her.

She began to laugh, leaping over him and running down the corridor in the opposite direction the dog demon had gone.

"You won't be so confident when my master hears about you!" Jaken yelled after her.

Although Jaken's empty threats did little to unsettle Kirara, his words did remind her once more that she was in Sesshomaru's home, and she had to get out as soon as possible.

"Inuyasha…" she muttered as she ran. "Miroku… Where are you?"

In her need to move quicker and unhindered, Kirara tore the soiled remains of the pink kimono from her body, tossing them aside and hurrying on.

* * *

"Oh now slow down, dear!"

Kirara back-peddled to a halt, barely avoiding running right into the female fox demon ahead of her.

"Now dear, tomorrow won't escape you if you slow down," the woman said. "And you were meant to be resting dear. We can't have you running around the castle dressed like that either, my dear. Haven't you heard? Our Lord is back. Now whatever would he think if he saw a straggly peasant girl like you running around the halls in your undergarments?"

Kirara flushed, finding herself at a loss for words. The authoritative, motherly tone of the elder woman before her, combined with the mental image of running into Sesshomaru in the corridor wearing her now muddied and thoroughly soaked undergarments, left her feeling suddenly very ashamed of herself for even considering running around the way she was.

"Come on now my dear," the woman said. "Of course, you've been unconscious all this time, haven't you? My name is Rinko I'm the nursemaid here at the palace. I've been watching over you while you were getting better, dear. Why don't you come with me and we'll get you some nice clean clothes. It will soon be time for dinner dear, your friends will be waiting for you."

"My friends?" Kirara asked, finding her voice at last.

"Lord Inuyasha and the others," Rinko replied.

"You know where they are? Can you take me to them?"

"Not like that I can't. I won't have a young harlot like you running around my Lord's castle looking like that!"

Kirara blushed again, one hand creeping up to her opposite shoulder in a meek attempt to regain a shred of her dignity.

"Now follow me, dear. I know just the place where we can get you some new clothes," Rinko added, walking past Kirara.

"Rinko…" Kirara mused, turning to follow the aging fox demon. "Sango told me that you burned my clothes, Miss Rinko."

"That's right dear, they were ruined beyond use," Rinko casually replied.

"Yes, and you had some new clothes made especially for me."

"Oh no dear, I didn't ask the dressmakers to make you anything. I'm sure you're a nice girl, but our dressmakers only make clothes for those who rank higher than they do, dear. And you, my dear, rank about as high as the soldiers who guard the night-watch tower."

Kirara winced at the insult, but as she looked around herself she found no reason to argue. Sesshomaru and his princess had been dressed in such fine clothing, and the castle Sesshomaru owned spoke of wealth beyond Kirara's wildest dreams; by comparison, she literally was nothing more than a lowly guard.

"You didn't commission any clothes for me?" Kirara asked, choosing the more preferable line of thought inside her head as a basis to continue their conversation.

"No dear," Rinko sighed. "And I don't intend to either. Not unless my Lord wishes for it, of course."

"But you commissioned the small silk pink kimono, with the emblems embroidered on it," Kirara pointed out.

"Oh yes dear, that was the emblem of our Lord. And that outfit was made for his Lady, the young princess."

Kirara cringed, the ill-fit of the outfit suddenly making sense when she considered the size of her own frame compared to that of the petite dog demon princess. Not only had she stolen someone else's clothing, she had also ruined it. And not only had she ruined the outfit, but she had done so in front of the owner herself, covering the illustrious female dog demon in mud that had probably also ruined the outfit she had been wearing then too.

'I need to find the others and get out of here as fast as I can!' Kirara thought to herself.

"So…" she said slowly, hoping the change the subject to distract herself from her own feelings of guilt. "Lord Sesshomaru will be taking the princess for his mate soon?"

"Yes dear," Rinko sighed.

Kirara's eyebrows inched up at the negative tone of Rinko's voice, and she contemplated questioning her upon it; but Rinko's next words eliminated the need.

"Such a terribly rude and pretentious young girl, I will not enjoy working for her," Rinko said quietly. "But you mustn't tell anyone else my feelings, dear."

"Rude and pretentious, you say?" Kirara asked, smirking at the thought. "Then she shall make Lord Sesshomaru a perfect little mate…"

"Oh no dear, not at all," Rinko replied.

Kirara frowned, tilting her head in curiosity.

"My Lord is not the least bit rude or aloof or unkind like the young princess is," Rinko continued.

'Great,' Kirara thought to herself, groaning inwardly. 'Sesshomaru's cast the same spell on this old woman as the one he cast on that poor little girl Rin. He's made her totally blind to what a rotten man he really is. What a jackass.'

"Now dear, let's find you something to wear," Rinko said, turning off the corridor and opening a doorway to another room.

* * *

Despite having never really felt inadequate in her life, Kirara suddenly felt very insignificant and unworthy as she entered the dining hall. Rinko swept ahead of her, confidently approaching the table. Kirara hung back, taking in the long, rectangular room, which hosted a long banquet table, filled with food served on silver platters. Kirara started to follow Rinko, stopping abruptly as her eyes landed on the figure at the head of the table.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" she whispered.

"Huh?" a voice grunted. "Oh hey, Kirara."

Kirara's eyes doubled in size as she realised that the silver-haired dog demon at the head of the table was not actually Sesshomaru.

"Inuyasha?" she gasped, edging closer to him.

"The old lady got me some new clothes," Inuyasha replied, waving a chicken leg at Rinko as he spoke.

Kirara edged closer still, running her eyes over Inuyasha, scrutinising every detail about him. His outfit, to her eyes, was merely the same haori and hakama that Sesshomaru usually wore.

"You look like your brother," she told him frankly.

Inuyasha tore off a chunk of meat from the chicken leg in his hand, talking back to Kirara through a mouthful of food. Kirara frowned at him, his words totally indecipherable, only his angered expression suggesting to her that he had taken offence from her last comment.

"There you are, Kirara!" Sango said, walking around to table to approach her friend. "Are you hungry?"

"No," Kirara coldly replied, faltering slightly as she saw that Sango was dressed in the fine kimono the dressmaker in Kaede's village had made for her. "But I am feeling much better now. Return me my weapons. I wish to leave this place. Immediately."

"I only just got here!" Kagome moaned. "Can't we just stay one more night?"

Kirara's frown deepened as she turned to Kagome, who had also changed her clothing, wearing a short, pale-coloured dress with pink and yellow flower prints on it.

"There is a beautiful hot spring out the back of the palace," Miroku told Kagome.

"Really?" Kagome squealed.

"We can't stay here," Kirara insisted.

"Oh don't be silly, dear!" Rinko said dismissively. "I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru will be so pleased to see his younger brother again. I'm sure he would love for you all to stay for one more night. And if you're very lucky dear, you might be allowed to sleep in the visitor's wing tonight. After all, the young Rin speaks so highly of you."

"Lucky enough to sleep in the visitor's wing?" Kirara muttered, frowning at Rinko.

"We're all sleeping in the visitor's wing," Sango explained.

"Yes dear, but you all rank high enough to sleep there," Rinko told her. "This poor waif of a girl is nothing but a little stray cat, isn't that right, dear?"

Kirara mewed indignantly, too horrified to answer the fox.

"I don't understand!" Sango quickly said. "How can I possibly rank higher than Kirara? This is a demon castle, and I am a human!"

"Yes dear, but you are accompanying the monk, whose spiritual powers give him a higher rank than a soldier. And with such fine clothing, you must be a lady of reasonable wealth."

"Soldier?" Sango echoed, ignoring Rinko's reference to her new outfit.

Sango eyed Kirara over thoughtfully.

"But Kirara is accompanying me," Sango explained. "And Lord Inuyasha! Isn't that right, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha muttered some more nonsense through another mouthful of food, causing Sango to groan in despair.

"Kirara has just recovered from a terrible poisoning!" she pointed out, turning back to Rinko. "Surely she should stay somewhere where her condition can be safely monitored?"

"I suppose we could keep her in the recovery wing for one more night," Rinko sighed.

"How many wings does this castle have?" Kirara yelped.

"Not enough, apparently!" a voice boomed through the hall.

Inuyasha gulped loudly, a large lump moving down his throat as he swallowed the contents of his mouth whole. All around them, the staff of the castle dropped to their knees, bowing to the demon who had just entered the room. Kirara stiffened fearing the worst; but something about the demonic aura behind her made her relax again. Turning around, she balked at what she saw.

"This filthy wretch will not stay here another minute, least of all another night!" the demon roared, pointing a clawed finger at Kirara.

"Oh really?" Kirara mumbled, folding her arms stubbornly.

"Oh now Master, this impoverished cat is a friend of Lord Inuyasha's!" Rinko said, in an attempt to appease him.

"I am beginning to tire of your constant insults, woman," Kirara growled at Rinko.

"She will leave now, or I will have her cast from here by the Royal Guard! She brings bad luck! Don't you know that a cat's curse lasts seven generations?"

Rinko turned to Kirara, blinking at her curiously.

"Don't listen to that stupid little toad," Kirara whispered to her. "He's just blinded by his love for his own master."

"I heard that, wench!" Jaken screamed. "I will have you cast from here immediately!"

"He ranks higher than you?" Kirara asked Rinko.

"Oh yes, dear!" Rinko quietly replied. "After the Lords and Ladies, and of course Miss Rin, Jaken is the highest ranking individual here!"

Kirara grunted, rolling her eyes disparagingly.

"Is undying devotion to the Lord of this castle all one needs to raise one's status?" she asked sardonically, casting Jaken a sideward glance.

"Get out of here, Jaken," Inuyasha said. "You smell so bad you're putting me off my food!"

Kagome and Sango sweat-dropped as Inuyasha then stuffed a whole dumpling into his mouth, his cheeks bulging as he chewed his way through it, looking far less affected than he had just claimed to be.

"We're staying here," Inuyasha continued, his voice muffled by the food still in his mouth. "We'll leave tomorrow morning."

"Yay!" Shippo cried.

"It would be nice to use the hot spring," Kagome commented.

"And to sleep in such a wonderful bed again…" Miroku said dreamily.

Kirara turned to Sango in alarm, but her friend merely shrugged her shoulders.

"What harm could one more night possibly do?" Sango asked her quietly.

Before Kirara could fully contemplate Sango's question, she was distracted from the subject by the change in Sango's expression. Her look of reasoning melted away into a look of shock, her change only clarifying any doubt in Kirara's mind as to what she could sense behind her. The staff of the castle grovelled lower to the ground, and Inuyasha's chair scraped against the stone floor as he pushed it back out, standing up, his eyes wide.

With a small sigh, Kirara turned around, the sight before her only confirming what she already knew: Sesshomaru had just entered the room.

"Milord, I tried to make them leave!" Jaken said to him. "But the filthy cat refused to go! She insisted on staying here with you, Sire!"

Kirara abruptly met Sesshomaru's eyes at Jaken's last untrue accusation, her look met with Sesshomaru's trademark expressionless gaze.

'I'm sure life was never this complicated the last time I had human form,' she thought miserably to herself.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** When Sesshomaru moves the gang from their rooms, Kirara grows increasingly confused by what she sees happening. Calling on the only voice of reason she can think of, Kirara asks her old friend for advice; but what will she do when she gets a most unexpected answer? **Chapter 18 – Midoriko's Message**.


	18. Midoriko's Message

**Recap:** Kirara tried to convince the others to leave Sesshomaru's castle, but the good food, comfortable accommodation and idyllic surroundings made them reluctant to go. Jaken tried to throw Kirara forcefully from the castle, but before he could follow through with his threat, the Lord of the castle himself appeared...

* * *

 **Chapter 18 – Midoriko's Message**

Sesshomaru held Kirara's gaze for a long, stifling moment of silence before shifting his eyes to his younger brother.

"Hey, you can't just throw us out of here!" Inuyasha warned him.

Sesshomaru slowly raked his eyes downwards over the length of Inuyasha's body, his eyes promptly flicking back up to his brother's once his assessment was complete.

"Why are you wearing the clothes I wore when I was a child, Inuyasha?" he asked flatly.

"What?" Inuyasha yelped, his face turning red as he eyed himself over.

"Oh, forgive me, my Lord!" Rinko pleaded, dropping to the ground by Sesshomaru's feet. "Lord Inuyasha needed some new clothes, and I just thought he would look so handsome in something of yours, and I… Oh please find it in your benevolent heart to forgive me my Lord, I have acted and spoken out of turn!"

"You fool, the word benevolent doesn't even exist in Lord Sesshomaru's vocabulary!" Jaken squawked. "Kill her, Milord!"

Sesshomaru lowered his eyes to Rinko, eying her with his usual bored and disinterested expression.

"She's old, and she's not necessary any more!" Jaken added.

"But I am needed!" Rinko wailed, raising her head enough to look up at Sesshomaru's face. "Without me, who will care for your children?"

"Fool, Lord Sesshomaru has no children!" Jaken jeered, pointing at her nose. "Show her the power of the Tokijin, Sire!"

Jaken began to hop from foot to foot in his excitement, but his joy was short-lived as Sesshomaru took a step forwards, standing onto Jaken and squashing him against the floor. Jaken yelped, choking and writhing beneath Sesshomaru's foot.

"Hey, this is Inuyasha's castle too, Sesshomaru!" Kagome yelled from across the table.

Sesshomaru turned his eyes to her, his expression still unreadable.

"How careless of you, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said quietly, his eyes moving back to Inuyasha as he spoke. "You have come here unarmed?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha yelped, clapping his hands at his hips. "Damn!"

"We all came here unarmed…" Sango pointed out.

"Of course we did!" Kagome said. "Why would we need our weapons at the dinner table?"

"How stupid can you be, little brother?" Sesshomaru asked his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked down at Inuyasha. "You dare to break my barrier and enter my home, and then you leave the one object I seek from you abandoned within these walls?"

"Hey, it wasn't like that!" Inuyasha snapped.

"He does make you sound pretty stupid, Inuyasha!" Shippo pointed out.

"Shut-up, Shippo!" Inuyasha snarled.

"You will all come with me," Sesshomaru stated, his tone unchanged, but his words coming out as an order regardless.

He turned his back on Inuyasha and began to leave the room, stepping off of Jaken, who whimpered in relief. Inuyasha looked around the others, who all stared blankly back at him.

"Looks like we don't have much choice," he grumbled.

"Don't let him boss you around, Inuyasha!" Kagome stubbornly insisted. "This is your home too!"

"Kagome, I don't know how things work in your era, but in our time, if someone dies, everything he owns goes to his eldest son," Inuyasha gruffly replied.

"What if he didn't happen to have any sons?" Kagome asked smugly.

"In that case the fortune would go to a brother, a nephew, a cousin, a daughter's husband," Miroku explained.

"What?" Kagome echoed. "Man things were weird back then! I mean now…"

"We don't have time to talk about it right now anyway," Inuyasha reminded them. "Come on, let's go."

Inuyasha walked out after Sesshomaru, followed closely by Jaken. Miroku and Sango followed him next, followed in turn by Kagome and Shippo. Kirara hesitated, her eyes moving to Rinko, who was still cowering and trembling on the ground.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly, holding out a hand towards the old fox demon.

"Oh don't worry about me dear," Rinko replied, taking Kirara's hand and allowing her to help her to her feet. "You ought to be worrying for your own safety. My Lord hates cats. And he despises the lower classes."

Rinko eyed Kirara over with a look of pity, only serving to anger Kirara. But, as she looked at her own, plain clothing, and thought of the rich, fine, clothing that Sesshomaru wore, Kirara could not deny that Rinko did have a very valid point.

"Run along now, dear," Rinko said to her softly. "You don't want to make Lord Sesshomaru angry."

Kirara briefly mused over the irony of the nursemaid's choice of words before hurrying after the others.

Kirara caught up with the gang a short way along the hall, as they were all walking behind Sesshomaru, moving through the castle at his usual, unhurried pace. Kirara tried to distract herself by admiring the décor of the hall around her, trying as best she could to delay her acceptance of what she was certain was about to become of her.

'He's taking us to the castle dungeon,' she thought dismally to herself. 'He's going to lock up Sango, Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Shippo, and there is nothing they can do to defend themselves without their weapons. And then he's going to order my execution. Tomorrow morning I'll be served on one of those silver platters to that disgusting little toad demon for breakfast.'

Kirara turned her head to Jaken, her eyes thinning as she glowered at him. He was trotting beside, but about two steps behind Sesshomaru, looking up at him with the usual, besotted expression he reserved for his master. Jaken, she assumed, must have been away from the castle when they arrived, as he had appeared to be as ignorant to her presence as Sesshomaru and his princess were. Kirara briefly wondered where Sesshomaru and Jaken had been, but then decided that they must have been at the dog demon princess's palace in the Northern Lands; after all, Kirara had heard the princess tell Jaken that Sesshomaru would need to send for her if he wished for her to visit again.

Thinking about the dog demon princess, Kirara remembered another remark that she had made to Jaken, about being disgusted by humans staying in Sesshomaru's castle. What then, Kirara wondered, would become of Rin when the princess set up home with her new mate? As Kirara pondered the poor, sweet, innocent mortal girl's future, she became increasingly aware of Rin's absence. Rinko had mentioned that Rin had spoken of her, but where was the little girl?

Rin must have returned to the castle without Sesshomaru and Jaken, Kirara decided. Given that Rin had only recently made an acquaintance – if it could indeed be called that – with Kirara in her human form, she could not have had enough time to discuss Kirara with Rinko unless she had returned to the castle before Sesshomaru. She and Ah-Un must have gone home the day Sesshomaru and Jaken stopped the gang in the forest on the borders of the Western Lands, Kirara deduced.

And, Kirara thought, her face twisting indignantly, immediately after ordering her to be his mate, Sesshomaru had set off for the palace of the Northern Lands to retrieve the woman he was already promised to!

'What an absolute jackass!' Kirara screamed inside her head, glowering at the back of Sesshomaru's head.

"What are you doing, Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken asked, his worried tone gaining Kirara's attention.

Sesshomaru, unsurprisingly, did not answer his servant, instead pushing open a set of double doors and walking on. Jaken hesitated by the doors, yelping in alarm as Inuyasha casually walked through them. As Sango and Miroku walked through the doors, Jaken finally seemed to come around, and he ran after his master. Kagome walked through next, still cradling Shippo in the crook of her arm.

"I remember this…" Inuyasha muttered, slowing to look about himself with more interest than before.

"Milord, why are you taking your ungrateful brother and his horrible friends into this sacred part of the castle?" Jaken wailed as he reached Sesshomaru's side.

"Sacred part of the castle?" Miroku asked quietly, catching up with Inuyasha.

"Yeah…" Inuyasha said slowly, still looking around himself in a state of wonder.

"This place feels so peaceful," Sango commented, falling back a step to walk alongside Kagome.

"Maybe because the paintings on the walls here aren't of war or death," Kagome suggested.

"This place smells funny," Shippo commented.

"Shut-up, Shippo!" Inuyasha barked, rounding on Kagome and shaking a fist at the fox cub in her arms.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelped, partly in fear of his sudden reaction.

"This place is my home," Inuyasha mumbled. "It doesn't smell funny."

Kagome and Shippo gasped as Inuyasha turned away from them again, and Miroku and Sango exchanged startled glances.

"This place must be the "family wing" of the castle," Kirara said softly as she joined them.

"Wow, you could tell that from the scents around here?" Kagome whispered to her.

"No," Kirara frankly replied. "Just from the fact that there is a nursery in there."

Kirara pointed at a slightly open doorway nearby. The others leaned over to peer through the gap in the door at the room within.

"This must be where Inuyasha was born," Kirara added. "And where he lived the first part of his life before his father died."

"And this must be where Sesshomaru was born too!" Shippo pointed out.

"Yes…" Kirara said slowly, frowning at the thought of Sesshomaru as a child, running around the nursery next to her.

"We'd better keep moving," Miroku whispered, pointing on ahead.

The others turned to see Inuyasha stopped a short distance ahead of them, staring open-jawed at something on one of the walls. Beyond Inuyasha, Sesshomaru and Jaken were stopped, each half-turned back, waiting silently for the others to catch them up.

"This is my mother," Inuyasha said bluntly, his eyes scanning over every part of the intimate portrait hanging on the wall to ensure that his claim was indeed correct.

"Your mother?" Kagome whispered as she and the others reached Inuyasha's side.

"Your mother and our father," Sesshomaru flatly replied.

Inuyasha turned his head towards his elder half-brother, screwing up his face in disbelief at what he had just heard.

"Why have you kept it?" he asked. "I don't understand! You hated my mother! You despise mortals! You blamed my mother for our father's death!"

"Yes," Sesshomaru plainly replied, his voice as emotionless as ever. "But unlike you Inuyasha, I hold a great respect for our late father. It was his wish to have this portrait here."

"He's dead, you stupid jackass!" Inuyasha grunted, rolling his eyes. "You don't have to do what he says any more!"

Kirara gasped at Inuyasha'a tactless response, turning her attention to Sesshomaru to gauge his reaction; but he remained as impassive and silent as ever. Surely such a remark had been a serious blow to his pride? Sesshomaru, Kirara admitted to herself, was many things, but he was at least a man of honour. His respect for his father had transcended death, and even many years after his father's passing, Sesshomaru was still paying his respects by abiding by his father's wishes. And Kirara did not doubt for a moment that Sesshomaru probably did blame Inuyasha's mother for their father's death. Why then was Inuyasha being so thoughtless, disrespectful and insensitive?

"What did you bring us here for anyway, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha asked, eying his brother over in disgust.

"This is the family wing of the castle," Sesshomaru calmly replied. "You and your friends will stay here tonight."

"Huh?" Inuyasha snorted, his face twisting again in shocked confusion.

"We can stay here?" Kagome asked dreamily.

"I will send for your belongings to be brought to you," Sesshomaru added. "Fire-cat, you will come with me."

Kirara made a small squeaking sound in the back of her throat at the unexpected reference to her. Sesshomaru had been looking at and addressing Inuyasha up until his last word, at which point he merely turned his back on them all and walked on.

"Are you going to go with him, Kirara?" Sango asked her.

"I…" Kirara began, glancing nervously between her friends and Sesshomaru's slowly retreating form. "I suppose I must…"

"You don't have to do what he says, Kirara!" Inuyasha said, waving a hand dismissively after his brother.

Kirara slowly eyed Inuyasha over, a small part of her twitching as she found that, when dressed in the same fine clothing as his brother, Inuyasha bore more than just a passing resemblance to Sesshomaru. She suddenly began to relive Rinko's speeches regarding her status, and again found herself feeling very small and insignificant; by Rinko's standards, she was not even worthy to call Inuyasha a friend, only to be his lowly foot soldier.

"It's for the best," Kirara said quietly, before walking onwards after Sesshomaru.

"Kirara…" Sango said softly, reaching out a hand towards her as she passed.

"She's so stupid, doesn't she know what Sesshomaru really thinks about her?" Inuyasha asked, turning to Sango.

Sango quirked an eyebrow at the irony of Inuyasha's statement; little did he know that he was the one who was ignorant of Sesshomaru's true thoughts and feelings for Kirara.

Meanwhile, Kirara managed to catch up with Sesshomaru, his slow pace making catching him an easy task. She slowed once she was within ten steps of him, falling into his pace and hanging her head low as she walked.

'I was partly right,' she thought to herself. 'He is taking me to a different part of the castle from the others. No doubt to the dungeon, or to the servants' quarters where I belong. This is awful. I wonder if the others would be upset if I escaped through the night?'

"Milord, what are you doing now?" Jaken squawked, flapping his arms at his sides, his bulging yellow eyes wide with shock.

"Leave now, Jaken," Sesshomaru calmly replied, as he turned a key in a lock.

Kirara stopped, tilting her head to one side as she watched Sesshomaru unlock a set of double doors as Jaken watched on in awe. Why he needed to lock doors in the castle she had no idea – a mere lock would do little to stop a rampaging demon – but presumably this was another eccentricity of the aristocracy that she, being little more than a soldier, was not aware of.

"But Milord," Jaken began quietly, stealing glances at Kirara as he spoke. "What do you intend to do with the girl?"

Sesshomaru lowered his eyes to Jaken, who shrieked, shuffling back and cowering over in anticipation of a severe reprimand.

"This way," Sesshomaru said, pushing open the doors and walking through them.

Kirara paused, wondering if he had been inviting her to follow him; he was yet to look at her. Kirara cautiously took two steps forwards, pausing on the threshold of the doorway, looking down at Jaken's cowering, quivering, pitiful form.

"Aren't you coming with us?" she whispered to him.

Jaken slowly lifted his arms from his head, sitting up to look up at Kirara.

"I wouldn't dare!" he replied honestly.

"You wouldn't dare?" Kirara echoed quietly, her demon spirit stirring as she began to fear for her own safety.

"Oh no, I have never entered that part of the castle, and I never would!" Jaken replied.

The open, honest and petrified look on the toad imp's face told Kirara that he was speaking the truth; but exactly what lay beyond those doors that left Jaken in such a state? Taking a deep breath, Kirara started after Sesshomaru, marching bravely after him. Her stance quickly lost its gusto however when the double doors banged shut behind her, the sound echoing around her. Kirara barely managed to suppress a girlish squeal of alarm, pressing a fist to her chest as her heart began to thud against her ribcage.

'Be strong, you fool!' she told herself silently. 'What would Priestess Midoriko think of you if she could see you now?'

Kirara let out a small sigh, pursing her lips and lifting her chin into the air. Straightening her back and pushing her shoulders back, Kirara marched on, rejoining Sesshomaru as he rounded a corner at the end of the hall. A small part of her began to feel a little wary that she was now completely alone with the demon lord. As much as she despised Jaken, his presence had at least saved her from being alone with Sesshomaru in his own castle.

Eying Sesshomaru's back over warily, Kirara's confidence began to wane again. However before she could become too concerned with her current predicament, Kirara's attention was stolen away by her new surroundings.

"Wow!" she gasped under her breath.

Although Sesshomaru continued walking, she distinctly heard him making a small grunting sound at her response, which made her cringe slightly. But Kirara could not help but be amazed by the room she was walking through. It was a giant library, filled with ancient scrolls, a winding wooden staircase to one side leading up to a second level that was concealed in darkness.

Kirara gulped quietly, her senses sharpening then as she realised the other main difference between this wing of the castle and every other part that she had visited thus far: it was unusually dark. The wall torches had become less frequent, and the rooms and halls had become much larger, necessitating far more light, but sorely lacking in it. And, as they left the library, their surroundings became even darker still.

Kirara frowned, as ahead of her, Sesshomaru appeared to be moving upwards. She yelped in complaint as she then stubbed her toes against a stone step, inwardly cursing her own stupidity for not realising sooner that he was walking up a set of stairs.

"Mind the step," he said quietly.

Kirara paused, wondering for a second time if Sesshomaru had just made an attempt at humour. Surely not, she told herself. After all, he had probably only said such a thing to make her feel even more foolish than she already did. Carefully stepping up the first few steps, Kirara soon fell into the rhythm of the almost invisible steps below her, trying to catch Sesshomaru up before he disappeared from her sight altogether. The staircase was gradually winding, which, combined with just how dark it was, made keeping Sesshomaru in her sights a difficult task. Kirara was silently thankful for his pale silver hair, which almost seemed to glow a pale shade of blue through the darkness, like muted moonlight.

"You will stay here," he said suddenly, stopping and reaching out his hand towards something.

Kirara climbed to the top of the staircase behind him, watching him intently as he slid open the door to another room. Kirara waited for him to enter the room, intending to follow him in; but he remained by the doorway, his back turned to her. Kirara slowly moved her eyes to his head, frowning questioningly at him. As though sensing her confusion, Sesshomaru turned his head slightly, one golden eye looking back at her through a curtain of his hair.

"Oh…" Kirara said lightly, as the realisation of the situation finally dawned upon her.

He was waiting for her to enter the room first. Which, Kirara told herself, was in keeping with her theory that he was putting her into some sort of dungeon; the sort of dank, miserable place that he himself would never concede to set foot in. Jaken had been alarmed by the direction they had headed because this was the cruellest place within the castle, the sort of horrid dungeon that would inevitably be filled with the skeletal remains of prisoners of the past, and a hoard of rats ready to consume their next victim who was put there to rot for the remainder of their lives.

With a small shiver, Kirara marched past Sesshomaru, marching several steps into the room before slowing to a halt.

"What is this place?" she whispered, her false bravado giving way to her utter confusion and awe.

Directly ahead of her stood a large fireplace, in front of which a large fur rug had been laid down. To the right of the fireplace, in the corner of the room, stood a small vanity table and chair, and to the left there was a large window, the shutters of which were firmly closed, rays of light seeping in through the cracks in the wood of the shutters. Beyond the window, along the side wall of the room was a large, low bed, piled with layers of silk sheets and silk pillows.

"This is where I am to stay?" Kirara asked. "But this room is so…"

Kirara's voice trailed off as she realised that Sesshomaru was no longer standing behind her. She swivelled on the spot in search of him before darting to the door and looking from side to side; but to no avail. Her senses told her that he had moved further up from where she was, but it was too dark for her to see exactly where he had gone.

Deciding that Sesshomaru would return for her soon enough, Kirara made her way back over to the window, throwing the shutters open to allow daylight to flood into the room, lighting up every darkened corner and crevice to afford her a full view of her surroundings. Kirara began to turn around to acquaint herself more intimately with the room, but something she saw at her side made her hiss and recoil in fear.

"Oh now dear, don't be so startled!"

Kirara yelped at the sound of a voice, tearing her eyes from the animal pelt before the fire that lay facing her to the fox demon who had just entered her room.

"It's a panther demon, not a fire-cat like you, my dear!" Rinko added as she met Kirara's eyes. "One of Lord Inutaisho's souvenirs from his great battle against the panther demon tribe many, many years ago. Now dear, I have your armour here and your sword."

"You're returning me my armour and my weapon?" Kirara asked, her eyes widening in surprise. "Does Lord Sesshomaru know that you're doing this?"

"It was his Lord's orders, my dear," Rinko replied, placing Kirara's belongings down by the end of the bed. "Master Jaken told me himself that Lord Inuyasha and his friends would be staying in different rooms tonight, and to arrange for your belongings to be brought to you. Of course my dear, as I am the only one who can enter this particular wing of the castle, I had to take you your belongings myself."

"I-I don't understand," Kirara said, her brow furrowing. "Jaken wouldn't enter this part of the castle."

"Oh no dear, it's not that he won't enter this part of the castle, it's simply that he can't."

"He can't? What do you mean?"

"Well my dear, you passed through the family wing, yes?"

"Yes."

"Well, this is the Lord's wing."

"The Lord's wing?"

"Yes dear. Only the Lord himself and those he allows may enter this part of the castle. I have always been granted access here to allow me to relay messages to the Lord and to serve him. You are very privileged to be here my dear."

"Privileged?"

"Oh yes dear. Lord Sesshomaru pays you a great compliment allowing you in here."

"I can't understand why."

"Can't you my dear?"

Kirara shook her head, feeling more than a little stupid as Rinko sweat-dropped in response.

"Well dear, it's getting late, I'll let you rest for now," the fox demon said. "I'll call on you in the morning when it's time for breakfast."

"Thank you," Kirara said politely, bowing to Rinko.

"Yes dear," Rinko replied, smiling awkwardly before leaving the room.

Kirara watched Rinko leave, jerking slightly as Rinko slammed the door shut behind her. Kirara then turned her attention to the vanity table, which was covered with small, intricately crafted trinket boxes. Picking one up to sniff cautiously at it, Kirara squeaked in alarm as it promptly slipped from her grasp and shattered on the stone floor by her feet.

"I'm fooling no-one, not even myself," she grumbled miserably. "I'm no lady, and this is no place for someone like me to be…"

Kirara started to walk towards the window, stopping and turning to take a small detour, walking around the panther demon skin rug as opposed to walking over it. Kirara began by admiring the extensive view from her window, silently noting that her room appeared to be higher than the rest of the castle. As she surveyed the grounds, Kirara caught sight of Ah-Un, ducking and diving through the air. Squinting at the ground below the two-headed dragon demon, Kirara could just make out a small figure standing there.

"Rin…" she muttered, stepping up onto the window ledge.

Without a second thought upon the matter, Kirara leapt out of the window, morphing into her fire-cat form to fly over the castle and the courtyard below before dipping down towards the field of flowers Rin and Ah-Un were playing in. As she neared the ground, Kirara eased back into her human form, landing on her feet a short distance from Rin.

"Kirara!" Rin cried, running towards her.

"Rin, how are you?" Kirara greeted her, dropping down to one knee to bring herself to eye level with the little girl.

"You're all better, Kirara!" Rin replied, ignoring Kirara's question. "Miss Sango told me you were ill, and I wanted to come to visit you, but Miss Rinko said I mustn't. I didn't tell Master Jaken about you or Miss Sango, or Miss Kagome or Mister Miroku or Lord Inuyasha either."

"You didn't?"

Kirara smiled slightly, realising then that Jaken must have been at the palace when she arrived, but had remained ignorant of her presence until he had happened upon her in the halls of the castle when the princess was leaving.

"And Kirara, Ah-Un is all better now!" Rin added.

"Yes, that's good, isn't it?" Kirara replied, smiling as she watched Ah-Un frolic freely in the air above them.

"Watch me, Kirara!" Rin said, running away from Kirara as she spoke.

Kirara lifted her other leg out from under herself, sitting down onto the ground to watch as Rin ran back and forth, dodging Ah-Un as it dived through the air at her. She smiled softly, casually plucking a flower from the ground at her side and twirling it between her fingers. Kirara began to relax and enjoy the warmth of the evening sun, her mind wondering how the sunsets looked from her current vantage point; but before she could become too complacent, she felt an immense demonic aura suddenly close in on her, and a shadow fell over her.

Kirara stiffened, the flower sliding from her hand as she tried to judge whether or not she was in any danger; but a quick sniff at the air told her that the demonic aura she sensed belonged to none other than Sesshomaru. Turning her head to one side, Kirara watched with wide eyes as Sesshomaru sat down next to her, spreading one leg out in front of himself and bending the other up to rest his arm on his knee. Kirara blinked several times, as though she somehow thought that the illusion of Sesshomaru sitting next to her might disappear if she did so.

But the image before her remained as real as ever. And despite the fact that she was turned towards him and staring shamelessly at his profile, Sesshomaru did little more than blink under her scrutiny, his eyes watching Rin and Ah-Un.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin cried, stretching one hand up high in the air and waving it from side to side, an enormous grin spreading over her face.

Rin skipped back over to Sesshomaru, but Kirara was still staring at Sesshomaru, and barely noticed her presence until she threaded a flower through the hair on top of Sesshomaru's head. Kirara paled in fear at what sort of response such an action would arouse in the demon lord, but he did not so much as flinch.

"I'm going inside now Lord Sesshomaru, Miss Kagome said she would tell me a story if I went to see her before I go to bed," Rin said.

Sesshomaru blinked slowly, but otherwise did not answer the girl, his eyes still watching the spot ahead of himself where she had been playing until a few moments ago.

"Good night Kirara!" Rin said cheerfully, waving at Kirara.

Kirara dumbly waved back, but her eyes were still on Sesshomaru.

"Good night Lord Sesshomaru."

Kirara's jaw dropped shamelessly as Rin grabbed her arms around Sesshomaru's neck, leaning her body against his back, pressing one cheek against the back of his head and closing her eyes to smile sweetly. Frozen by the sheer bravery of the mortal girl's actions, Kirara was unable to respond, as much as she wanted to; for surely the cold-hearted dog demon lord would rip the girl in two with his claws for such an action?

Kirara's eyes lowered to Sesshomaru's hand as it reached around to Rin's arms where they crossed over at his throat. His hand seemed to be moving in slow motion as she watched, but to her utter amazement, he did not scratch, hit or even try to pull her arms away. Instead he merely touched his hand lightly to her forearms, his face unchanged. Rin slid her arms from him and he moved his hand back to its original position.

Rin skipped back to the castle, singing a song about bedtime stories, leaving Kirara staring at Sesshomaru, her eyes wide, her bottom jaw hanging away from her face.

"Close your mouth, fire-cat," Sesshomaru said calmly, as Rin's voice faded behind them.

Kirara promptly clamped her jaws together, but her eyes remained wide and they remained fixed on Sesshomaru. Several seconds passed where the only sounds to be heard were the soft growls of Ah-Un as it slowly wandered down the field, and the light breeze as it rustled through the flowers around them. Kirara gulped nervously, her already huge eyes widening further still as Sesshomaru moved his eyes to look at her. After a short pause he turned his head fully towards her, looking her straight in the eye. Compelled by an unknown force, Kirara found herself leaning towards him slightly, tilting her chin upwards to move her face closer to his.

Kirara's heart began to beat faster as Sesshomaru moved slightly closer to her, narrowing the already small gap between them. From the corner of her eye she saw his hand move from his knee towards her. His expression was still unreadable, and she began to wonder just who had initiated what appeared to be transpiring between them; but before she could give the matter any thought, Sesshomaru's hand landed on the ground by her thigh and he pushed himself up to his feet, turning and walking back towards the castle at his typical, unhurried pace.

Kirara released a breath she had not realised that she had been holding, turning her head to watch him walk away.

'He was about to kiss me, I'm sure of it!' she thought to herself as she watched him.

Kirara slowly pushed herself to her feet, wiping her hands to together to remove the excess dirt from them.

'Or maybe I was about to kiss him,' she thought darkly.

Kirara shook her head, her mind suddenly swarmed with conflicting thoughts and ideas.

'No,' she silently told herself. 'I wasn't trying to do anything. He came to sit with me, he moved towards me. He has welcomed me into his home, even after I refused him – and I did refuse him. And I would do it again.'

Kirara slowly frowned, her mind focussing on that one final thought. Would she refuse him again if he were to ask her to be his mate a second time? Kirara then recalled the manner in which he had demanded that she be his, giving her no scope to voice her own feelings or to refuse him the first time around. Why would he be any different a second time if he were to renew his intentions?

But Kirara could not deny that she had seen Sesshomaru in a very different light since arriving at his castle. Through the eyes of both Rin and Rinko, Sesshomaru was the perfect gentleman: honourable, polite and even caring. Seeing him with Rin – a mortal girl – seemed to prove that Sesshomaru was not as evil or as black-hearted as Inuyasha had told Kirara he was.

Kirara found herself then thinking back to the very first time that she had encountered Sesshomaru. Obviously, it was at a time when she was still under Midoriko's spell and bound in the form of a small cat. She was travelling with the others as always, when Totosai had fallen from the sky on his bull, asking Inuyasha for protection from a man with long white hair who had demanded a sword stronger than the Tetsusaiga from him. Shortly thereafter, Ah-Un had dropped from the sky and Sesshomaru had leapt from his back, his left arm replaced with a dragon's claw. Sesshomaru had spoken to and fought against Inuyasha as though he were nothing more than a mere mortal child, Inuyasha only narrowly managing to defeat him by accidentally unleashing the power of the Wind Scar, which he had yet to learn the secrets of back then.

'Great,' Kirara groaned silently. 'Not only is the class divide between us immeasurable, but so is the divide in our power. I have the power of a soldier, whilst he is probably the most powerful demon to ever have lived. Inuyasha has only managed to survive their past battles thanks to his sheer good fortune.'

"I'm so confused…" Kirara whispered to the wind, lifting her head to watch as the base of the sun began to press against the horizon.

And so Kirara found herself doing something she only ever did when she was in dire need of help. Pressing one fist to her chest, closing her eyes and tilting her chin downwards, Kirara quietly prayed to the only force she felt sure could guide and help her at such a time.

"Priestess Midoriko," she whispered. "You placed the curse upon me, and you told me that when the spell was broken, it would be because I had learned enough about life to be free. But I'm still so confused. There are still so many things that I don't understand. Help me. Speak to me. Show me what I should do. Give me a sign, no matter how small it may be."

* * *

The moon was high in the sky, but otherwise the castle grounds were in complete darkness. It was a cloudy night, and the light of the moon faded in and out as the clouds swept over it, obscuring it from view. Kirara knew that she should return to the castle and get some rest, as she was still not fully recovered from her poison-related illness; but she could not slow the adrenaline coursing through her veins sufficiently to even consider sleeping.

As Kirara walked around the grounds, the scent of the hot spring reached her nose, and a smile crept onto her face. Soaking herself in hot water seemed like a good idea, to help relax her body and to help clear her mind, and hopefully to make sleep an achievable goal that night. Kirara turned towards the scent, walking more briskly towards it.

As she drew nearer to the hot spring, Kirara grew increasingly aware of two facts that she knew should be unsettling her, and yet did not seem to cause her any concern. First of all, she could quite clearly sense a powerful demonic aura in the region of the hot spring, and secondly, she could smell that someone was in or had just come out of the water.

"Sesshomaru," she mused aloud, as the distinct scent in the air triggered as being his.

A few moments later, Kirara saw his silhouette appearing by the water's edge. He stood up straight, facing her as she climbed up the rocks to the hot spring. Kirara stopped a few steps in front of Sesshomaru, less alarmed than she felt she should be as she found him to be wearing nothing more than his hakama.

Kirara lowered her eyes to his feet, slowly taking in every detail about him as she let her eyes wander back up to his face. His feet were bare, and just like his hand and cheeks, bore two thin purple strips over the outer edges. His legs were concealed from her view beneath the loose material of his perfectly white hakama, which was tied just below his waist, making his navel barely visible. Moving her eyes further upwards, Kirara's attention did not linger long on his bared upper body, but she did pause at his left shoulder, tilting her head slightly as she saw, for the first time, the debilitating scar Inuyasha had left his elder brother with.

A soft moan escaped Kirara's lips as she studied the remains of Sesshomaru's left arm. It was a cruel injury, and an even crueller fate for a demon so young, destined to live for many hundred of years more without the use of one arm. And although Kirara had never owned or even once yielded a sword anywhere near as powerful as any of the three unique swords that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru owned between them, she was more than aware from her own sword-wielding experiences that only using one arm meant only using half her power behind every blow.

How strong then would Sesshomaru be if he had both arms to carry Tokijin with, she wondered?

Kirara had never really given Sesshomaru's missing arm much thought before, but she had somehow always assumed that he had lost his entire arm, including his shoulder. She could not even begin to recall just how many times Inuyasha had retold the tale over the camp-fire late at night, the orange light of the flames creating jagged, dancing shadows over his enthusiastic features as he recounted the whole bloody affair, of how he had stabbed the sword Sesshomaru had wanted for himself into his ankle and torn the blade upwards, ripping his arm – or even his front leg, as he had apparently been in his dog form at the time – into two, before severing through the entire limb by his body.

But it appeared that Inuyasha's story had been as exaggerated as his language had been whilst telling it, for Sesshomaru's shoulder was still in tact, as was the top third of his upper arm. The wound had also healed reasonably well; such a wound would have caused enough blood loss to kill a human or even a weaker demon.

Kirara moved her eyes up further, finally stopping at Sesshomaru's face. He had obviously just gotten out of the water, as his hair was drenched and clinging to the sides of his temples and moulded over his ears, masking them from her view. As Kirara finally met his eyes, Sesshomaru tilted his head slightly, Kirara's eyes dropping from his to watch as his action caused a small droplet of water to slide over the curve of his top lip. As the tiny drop of water quivered on the tip of his lip, threatening to fall at any moment, Kirara suddenly felt her mind go numb, and before she could stop herself, she took a step towards him, closing the distance between them. She leaned forwards, catching his top lip between both of her own, her eyes widening in shock at her own actions; and yet she could not tear herself away from him.

To Kirara's own great surprise, after a short delay, Sesshomaru responded to her advance. He gently brought up his lower lip, pressing it against hers to seal their kiss. Kirara slowly closed her eyes, touching a hand to his shoulder to steady herself as she leaned closer still to him. As she closed her eyes, Kirara suddenly saw an image of Naraku, his body made up of countless other demons, a red priestess and a white priestess by a tower she was sure she had seen before, Kohaku running freely and playing with Shippo, and she saw herself.

But she was a little cat again. She had lost her human form, and no-one could hear her voice any more.

Kirara cried out, sitting up sharply, gasping desperately at the air around her.

"Damn, it was a dream!" she said aloud, peeling the silk sheets from her sweat-soaked form.

Kirara stood out of her bed, walking over to her window. She had purposely left the shutters open, and she was glad of her decision. Enjoying the cooling effects of the night breeze, Kirara closed her eyes, leaning against the wall.

'Why did I dream about Sesshomaru?' she asked herself silently. 'Why did I kiss him in my dream? Why did he kiss me back? And why did I see Naraku, those priestesses, Kohaku and the spell redone?'

"Priestess Midoriko," she whispered, her eyes snapping open. "Was that your message to me?"

Kirara looked up at the moon, high in the sky, her frustration rising further still.

"But that wasn't any help to me!" she cried out into the night. "It only made me even more confused than I already am! What does it all mean?"

Kirara groaned, dropping to her knees and bringing her forearms up to rest them on the window-ledge. Of all the aspects of her unusual dream, which she truly believed was an answer from Midoriko to her questions, the one thing that disturbed her most of all was the thought of being locked away into the form of a little cat once more. Midoriko had never mentioned the spell being an eternal one that only broke when the need arose. Surely she could not lose her human form again?

"I don't want to lose my voice, Priestess," she whispered out to the night sky. "Please don't make that happen to me again…"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** The gang continue their short vacation at Sesshomaru's castle, but trouble is brewing behind the scenes, and Kirara soon finds herself in a fight for her life against a formidable and determined foe. **Chapter 19 – Kagura's Plan**.


	19. Kagura's Plan

**Recap:** Sesshomaru was uncharacteristically welcoming towards Inuyasha and the gang, allowing them to stay in the family wing of the castle. He gave Kirara a room in his own private wing, leaving her very confused. Kirara asked her old friend Midoriko for guidance, but was given a message that only confused her further still.

* * *

 **Chapter 19 – Kagura's Plan**

"Good morning, dear!"

Kirara growled, opening her eyes to thin slits begrudgingly to eye Rinko as she walked around the room, silently noting that Rinko cast a disapproving eye at the broken trinket box by the fireplace as she swept passed it.

"Did you sleep well dear?" Rinko asked, forcing a smile as she noticed that Kirara was looking at her.

"No," Kirara bluntly replied, pushing herself up into a sitting position.

Kirara stretched her arms above her head, yawning openly. As she did so, she heard Rinko making a small clicking sound of disapproval in the back of her throat, and she promptly dropped her arms to her sides, opening her eyes wide to look at the fox demon. Rinko quickly forced another smile, but not before Kirara noticed the sceptical look on her face.

"Now my dear, it will soon be time for breakfast," Rinko explained. "I have come here to offer you some assistance to get dressed for his Lordship."

"For what?" Kirara asked, scratching at the back of her head.

"You are to have breakfast with Lord Sesshomaru this morning, dear," Rinko patiently replied. "He has specifically requested that you accompany him for breakfast in his own private dining hall."

"Mew?" Kirara yelped.

"Yes dear," Rinko said with a nod of her head, as though the noise Kirara had just made was a valid question. "I must say dear, my Lord never ceases to amaze me. I never would have thought he would have chosen a rough and ready creature like you for his mate, least of all a cat demon, and yet here you are, sleeping in the lady's room."

"In the what?" Kirara echoed.

"Well dear, this is the room the lord of the castle keeps his lady in when they are… Well I'm sure you understand…"

Kirara paused, her face growing warmer as her cheeks began to turn red.

"Um… No?" she said slowly.

"Oh dear my girl, for one so out-spoken you really aren't very versed in the facts of life, are you dear?"

Kirara tried to smile back, even though she knew only too well that she was being insulted. She could not formulate a suitable response to Rinko's remark since it had been such a valid point. The last time she had held human form and been forced to deal with communicating verbally with others or conforming to their standards, she had been a mere child; and that had been so very, very long ago, other than her warrior's sword and fighting skills, what little she had learned had long since left her memories.

* * *

"This food is divine!" Sango said dreamily.

"I'll say!" Kagome agreed. "It sure was nice of Sesshomaru to let us stay here and eat in this part of the castle."

"The food maybe tastes better here, but it still stinks of Sesshomaru around here!" Inuyasha moodily remarked.

"Perhaps the smell would not bother you so much if you were not still wearing your brother's clothes, Inuyasha," Miroku suggested.

"Hey, shut-up!" Inuyasha snapped at him.

"I wonder where Kirara slept last night?" Shippo asked. "Do you think she will eat breakfast here too?"

"I don't know, Shippo," Sango replied, frowning thoughtfully.

"I sense there is much afoot that we do not yet know about," Miroku commented.

"Like what, Miroku?" Sango asked, turning to him.

"Oh nothing sinister, don't worry," he hurriedly assured her upon seeing her concerned expression. "It was just with regards to something that Kirara said to me on our way here, just after she was bitten by the serpent."

"What did she say?" Kagome asked.

"She told me that the last time she had human form, she was around the same age and size as Shippo," Miroku replied.

"Me?" Shippo echoed.

"Yes," Miroku said. "And given Shippo's outlook on life, I rather suspect that Kirara's is not much different."

"What are you getting at, Miroku?" Inuyasha demanded impatiently. "Are you saying that Kirara is just a dumb little brat like Shippo?"

"Hey!" Shippo wailed.

"In many aspects, yes," Miroku replied.

"Hey!" Shippo yelped.

"She may well now possess the body of an adult, and she may have lived a very long time between when the spell was cast and when it was broken, no doubt witnessing many, many things; but she lived that part of her life as an animal, with no ability to communicate or learn about culture."

"You mean you don't think she understands many of the things around her?" Sango asked.

"I mean I doubt she can understand why Sesshomaru lives the way he does, or even what an honour it was for us to be allowed into this part of the castle. Without the social skills and cultural awareness of an adult, she is nothing more than a young child trapped inside an adult's body. Which perhaps explains why Rin calls her a friend. I think that, despite her outward appearance, Kirara probably has more in common with Rin than she does with you, Sango."

"Oh…"

Sango hung her head, deep in thought.

"It's no big deal!" Inuyasha snorted. "It's not like anyone's expecting her to act like a lady, or anything!"

Sango stiffened in alarm as an idea suddenly occurred to her: Sesshomaru had asked Kirara to be his mate, what if he had asked her again after they had left together the night before? And where exactly had he taken her the night before? Just what was going on between the two of them? And would Kirara be able to cope with whatever it was?

* * *

Kirara walked through the doorway, her head immediately turning upwards to look around herself. Rinko, who had been walking ahead of her, stopped and bowed politely.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Miss Kirara," she said.

Kirara continued to look around herself, oblivious to the fact that both Rinko and Sesshomaru were staring at her. Ignoring them completely, she wandered to the opposite end of the table, her armour clunking as she walked. Rinko had advised her against wearing her armour and the soldier's clothing she had been given from the castle guard, but Kirara had decided that dressing like a lady might only make Sesshomaru think that she was capable of acting like one.

Kirara casually picked up a small chunk of fresh fish from the table as she walked, popping it into her mouth and all but swallowing it whole. Rinko made a small noise of alarm that drew Kirara's attention back to her. Rinko widened her eyes as Kirara looked at her, and Kirara turned her attention to Sesshomaru, who was standing at the opposite end of the table. He was dressed in his usual red and white haori and hakama, his armour and weapons absent. She blinked at him in confusion, wondering why he had stood out of his chair when she had entered the room, and why the bowl of food in front of him was sitting uneaten.

"Have a seat, dear," Rinko whispered, walking over towards Kirara.

Kirara nodded her head, climbing up over the arm of the throne-like seat at the opposite end of the table from Sesshomaru and then dropping herself onto it with a thud. Rinko paused, her hands hovering over the back of the chair.

"Heh," she breathed, retracting her hands from the offer of pulling out the chair for Kirara.

Kirara failed to notice Rinko's actions though, her attention fixed on Sesshomaru as he sat back down, watching her intently. Unsure of just what he was thinking, Kirara's natural urges soon helped her decide on her next move. Her stomach let out a growl of complaint, and she happily grabbed up a handful of small fish steaks, stuffing them into her mouth. She chewed through them before sucking the juices from each of her fingers in turn, ending on her thumb.

As she withdrew her thumb from her mouth, Kirara became aware of Rinko at her side. Moving her eyes to look at Rinko, she saw the old woman shaking her head vigorously at her.

"Hm?" Kirara responded.

"Your bowl, dear!" Rinko whispered to her, pointing at the bowl before her.

"Oh!" Kirara blurted. "Oh right! Sorry!"

Kirara picked up her bowl, using it as a scoop to help herself to another pile of fish steaks, before dunking the whole lot into a bowl of sauce, lifting it out again and placing it back down on the table in front of herself with a smile of delight. Rinko yelped as Kirara then sucked the remaining sauce from her fingers, before lifting to bowl to her face and slurping loudly from it.

"Kirara!" Rinko hissed.

"Huh?" Kirara echoed, placing her bowl back down to the table a line of sauce dribbling down her chin.

Rinko pointed fervently at something by Kirara's hand. Kirara slowly lowered her eyes to the object Rinko appeared to be referring to, finding two slender sticks. Kirara picked them up in one hand, crossing her eyes to study them thoughtfully.

'Ah!' she thought to herself. 'I've seen these before! Humans and human-form demons use these to eat with! I've seen Sango, Miroku, Kagome, Shippo and even Inuyasha use these!'

"Wow, I get two?" she remarked aloud, snapping the sticks apart.

"Of course you do, dear," Rinko replied with a frown.

Kirara grinned, taking a stick in each hand. Rinko's frown deepened, and she groaned in utter despair as Kirara began stabbing her chopsticks into the food around her, using them like skewers to bring food to her mouth. Rinko hurriedly cleared her throat, bringing Kirara's attention back to her. Rinko held up one heavy sleeve to cover her other hand, pointing frantically down the table as she did so. Kirara slowly turned in the direction she was pointing, finding Sesshomaru staring at her, holding his two chopsticks in one hand.

'Of course, he only has one hand,' she thought to herself. 'I wonder how he can still use both sticks then?'

Without moving his eyes from Kirara, Sesshomaru delicately picked up a small piece of food from his bowl, balancing it effortlessly between the two sticks and lifting it to his mouth.

"Oh…" Kirara mumbled under her breath.

These were not the same sticks Inuyasha and the others used to roast fish over the fire with, these were the sticks she had seen them use when Miroku had managed to get them a free meal in a respectable household. They were supposed to be used together in one hand to handle food. Kirara slowly passed one stick into her other hand, balancing the two sticks between the fingers of one hand. She watched Sesshomaru carefully as he ate another piece of food, manoeuvring the sticks she held to mimic his method of holding them.

Rinko sighed softly in visible relief, stepping back from the table as Kirara reached her chopsticks towards a chunk of fish in her bowl. She successfully pressed the sticks against either side of the object of her desire, but, being unaccustomed to the correct way to handle such utensils, she squeezed the sticks together too hard, causing them to slip off the fish and cross over. The piece of fish Kirara had been trying to grasp slipped upwards, propelled into the air by the force of her chopsticks hitting together. With a small yelp, Rinko caught the fish steak, closing her fist around it and concealing it beneath her many sleeves, glancing nervously back and forth between Kirara and Sesshomaru, her eyes wide with what looked to be fear.

"Excuse me," Kirara said abruptly, pushing her chair back, wincing as it scraped noisily against the stone floor.

Sesshomaru instantly stood opposite her, his chair moving fluidly and silently back, making Kirara frown with momentary wonderment; he even managed to move a heavy, cumbersome object with effortless grace.

"I have to…" Kirara began, stumbling out from her seat. "I need to…"

She glanced at Rinko, who gave a small shake of her head as she tried to warn Kirara not to leave the hall.

"Excuse me, Lord Sesshomaru," Kirara said, side-stepping past Rinko. "I just need to go to… I have to use the… I need to…"

As Kirara tried desperately to formulate an excuse to leave, she walked backwards towards the door, watching Sesshomaru as she went. He watched her until she reached the door, at which point he turned fully towards her, bowing his head slightly as she receded back out of the dining hall.

"What you doing, you silly girl?" Rinko hissed, hurrying after her.

Kirara glanced over her shoulder, alarmed to see that the little old woman could move a lot quicker than she had expected her to. Breaking into a run, Kirara tore off, heading back through the library, back down the corridor to the set of doors she knew lead back towards the family wing and back towards her friends.

"So stupid…" she grumbled as she ran. "I don't belong here! He did this deliberately he wants to make me feel this stupid! Does he really hate me that much for refusing him?"

Kirara reached out a hand towards the double doors as she neared them, aiming to grab a door handle and pull it open; but as her fingers touched the metal of the door handle, a shock of energy shot through her body, and she was thrown back from the doors, landing hard on her back.

"What the…?" she muttered, slowly sitting up again.

"Now you see dear, you can't use these doors without his Lord's permission!" Rinko advised.

Kirara screamed in shock as she found the little fox demon standing by her side, showing no signs whatsoever of having had to exert herself to catch her.

"I have to get out of here!" Kirara cried, leaping to her feet and running back towards the library.

Not even daring to look back for fear of what she might see, Kirara ran into the library, skidding around and tearing up the staircase to the second level. Directly ahead of her was a small, arched balcony, leading outside. Running straight out onto it, Kirara hopped up onto the stone handrail by the edge of the balcony, ready to fly off into the sky and finally make her escape for the awful palace; but something made her stop.

Kirara was overlooking the courtyard, at the centre of which was a large water fountain, the water in which was littered with pink petals from a nearby blossom tree. The scene was beautiful, but she barely had time to enjoy it. Beyond the walls of the courtyard, Kirara could smell a very distinct scent, a damp, sulphuric and slightly mouldy smell one that she would recognise anywhere.

"Naraku…" she whispered.

Kirara leapt into the air, landing in a crouch behind the water fountain, cautiously sniffing at the ground around her for any further clues as to where the evil demon was hiding. Kirara crept around the courtyard, sneaking past what she felt sure were the windows of the family wing as she went. Although the scent of Naraku was getting slightly more predominant, Kirara still felt that he was very far away. A gust of wind swept around the courtyard, removing almost all traces of his scent altogether, making her momentarily question if she had perhaps just imagined sensing him.

Either way, she told herself, she would be unwise to approach him alone. Deciding to go back for reinforcements – namely Inuyasha with his Tetsusaiga and Kagome with her sacred arrows – Kirara turned around to return to the castle; but a short, sharp scream stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Jaken?" she muttered.

Without even thinking about her actions, Kirara spun around and ran off in the direction she had heard Jaken's cry, scaling her way up and over the courtyard perimeter wall, landing in a small orchard. Kirara stopped abruptly, staring in shock at what she found. Kagura was standing a short distance in front of her, one hand grasping the front of Rin's kimono, holding the girl at her side, the other tightly clutched around Jaken's throat, choking the life from him.

"Well if it isn't the pesky fire-cat, Kirara," Kagura greeted her. "I'll deal with you just as soon as I've finished with this miserable little toad."

"Let him go, Kagura!" Kirara quickly responded, unsheathing her sword as an added warning to the wind sorceress.

"Or what?" Kagura laughed. "Don't make me laugh, Kirara. I know that your human form is even weaker than your fire-cat form. Step aside, or I'll gladly kill you too."

"What do you want, Kagura?" Kirara asked, ignoring the insults she had just received.

"I want that fool Sesshomaru to kill Naraku," Kagura calmly replied. "I've tried asking him, and that didn't work. So now I'm trying something a little more severe. Let's see him refuse me when the life of his precious ward is at stake!"

"Let the little girl go, or I'll kill you right now, Kagura!" Kirara hurriedly yelled, glancing at Rin, who was deathly silent, even though tears were trickling down her cheeks.

"You've got about as much chance of stopping me as this miserable toad did," Kagura replied, smirking confidently.

"You risked your life for Rin?" Kirara asked softly, turning to Jaken.

Jaken did not answer her, but she suspected that that was mainly because he could barely breathe in Kagura's vice-like grip. Kirara then realised that something bad was going to happen regardless of what she did next. With one flick of her wrist, Kagura could easily snap Jaken's neck and take his life. Kirara tried desperately to think of a way that she could attack Kagura without hurting either Jaken or Rin; but then an idea occurred to her.

Sticking two fingers into her mouth, Kirara blew hard, a loud whistle ringing out through the grounds of the castle.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kagura snarled at her.

Kirara barely had time to smirk back at Kagura before a shadow fell over them. Kagura gasped, releasing Jaken as she looked up to see what was heading her way. Before Kagura could figure out that it was merely the shadow of Ah-Un and that it was no real threat without someone giving it orders, Kirara leapt forwards, shoving Jaken back out of the way. He groaned as he fell, but did not complain. Kirara then dove at Kagura, colliding with her and knocking her to the ground.

Kagura's hand released Rin, who stood frozen in fear, staring with wide, startled eyes at the two female demons on the ground by her feet.

"Jaken, get Rin and get out of here, now!" Kirara yelled over her shoulder. "Take Ah-Un and leave!"

Jaken nodded dumbly, running forwards and grabbing Rin, tugging her up onto Ah-Un's back. As the dragon demon took off, Kirara turned back to Kagura, where her face was met with Kagura's fist. Kagura's punch packed far more strength than Kirara had expected it to, and she was knocked to one side from the sheer force of the blow. Kagura kicked Kirara off of herself, getting to her feet and snapping open her fan forcefully.

"You will pay for your interference with your life, fire-cat!" Kagura snarled.

"A price worth paying for the freedom of the girl," Kirara smugly replied as she started to stand.

"Die!" Kagura yelled, swinging her arm around, creating a blast of wind that sent Kirara tumbling over backwards.

Kirara rolled helplessly over and over until she collided with a tree.

"Dance of the Dragon!" Kagura yelled, whipping her fan through the air.

Before Kirara could even stand, she was caught between two whirling cyclones which held her body upright, lifting her up a short distance off the ground. Kirara closed her eyes and tensed her muscles as the winds around her burned at her skin with their sheer speed, and small stones and sticks pelted off of her, their high velocity making every impact far more painful that it should normally have been.

"Do you give up yet, Kirara?" Kagura taunted her.

"Never!" Kirara yelled back.

"Stubborn cat!" Kagura snapped irritably. "Dance of Blades!"

Kirara tried to move her arms and legs to protect herself from the blades that were shooting towards her from Kagura's fan, but she was completely debilitated by the whirlwinds at her sides, which held her fast. Closing her eyes in anticipation of the worst, Kirara could not contain the pitiful, feline cry of pain that burst from her throat as the blades sliced into her.

Kirara silently thanked her own bad attitude for now being the one thing that saved her life. Thanks to her insistence on wearing her armour to her breakfast date with Sesshomaru, the blades only cut her arms and legs, any blades aimed at her torso bouncing right off her super-strength armour.

"Hm!" Kagura said, waving her fan through the air again.

The cyclones at Kirara's sides died down and she fell to the ground, landing hard. Kirara lay still for a moment, the pain and extent of her injuries finally dawning on her. If she did not transform, she had no hope of so much as surviving the battle, let alone somehow managing to defeat Kagura.

"You're going to have to try a lot harder than that if you expect to live, fire-cat!" Kagura snapped. "Because the next time I come at you, I won't miss!"

Kirara slowly clenched her fists, her claws digging small divots in the earth as she did so.

"What's the matter, Kirara?" Kagura taunted her. "Still not figured out how to use that new body yet?"

Kirara growled, sitting up onto her legs, her eyes glowing red in her anger. As fresh surges of adrenaline pumped through her body, she became numb to her injuries.

"Go ahead, transform into your true form, Kirara," Kagura goaded her. "Because the way you are right now, you're no challenge for me."

"I'll show you, you evil witch!" Kirara snarled, getting to her feet.

Kirara grabbed a hand at the point where she expected the hilt of her sword to be, gasping in alarm as she realised that she had already drawn her weapon, and Kagura's winds had torn it from her hands.

"Your pathetic sword can't help you now anyway!" Kagura called to her.

"Maybe not," Kirara growled in a low voice, cracking her knuckles as she spoke. "But I still have my claws. And I still have my fangs."

"Dance of Blades!" Kagura yelled, swinging her arm around again.

Kirara tried to leap and dodge the lightning fast and razor sharp blades that charged at her, managing to successfully evade some and escape harm from others thanks to her armour; but most of Kagura's blades hit their intended target, slicing open new wounds and deepening existing ones alike.

'Damn!' Kirara thought to herself as she staggered around weakly. 'I can't even get close to her! I need a long range weapon to fight a foe like her.'

Kirara shuddered as she remembered recently witnessing the battle between Koga and Kagura. Koga had been completely at the mercy of Kagura's wind attacks, and had ended up sliced and bloodied all over, his life only spared when Inuyasha showed himself, in his mortal form, to save the wolf demon. Without Inuyasha with his Tetsusaiga, Kagome with her sacred arrows or Sango with her Hiraikotsu, Kirara knew that she was fighting a losing battle; but what choice did she have?

"What are you doing here anyway, Kirara?" Kagura asked, smiling as she eyed Kirara over.

"I could ask the same of you," Kirara returned, touching one hand to a particularly deep gash in her upper arm. "How did you get through Sesshomaru's barrier?"

"Somebody broke it for me," Kagura replied, her smile widening.

"Damn you…" Kirara growled.

"Foul language, poor manners, peasant clothing and the weakest demonic powers I have ever encountered," Kagura sighed. "And you seek to make yourself Sesshomaru's little bitch?"

"What?" Kirara snarled, her demon spirit stirring, her eyes flickering with red.

"That's why you're here, isn't it Kirara?" Kagura asked.

"What would you know?"

"Let's see if your precious dog still finds you as attractive when you've been cut to pieces! Dance of Blades!"

Kirara froze, the size and number of blades coming at her this time telling her that this was Kagura's ultimate attack, and that she had no hope of escape. Too weak, too slow and with no way of defending herself, Kirara gulped as she braced herself for the sensation of the blades tearing through her body.

"No!" a voice yelled.

"Inuyasha!" Kirara cried as a figure leapt in front of her, raising an arm to shield them both from the blades.

The force of Kagura's wind blades forced them back, and before Kirara knew what was happening, she was on her back, a mass of silver hair lying over her legs. Kirara looked up at Kagura, surprised to see that she looked shocked. Turning to her saviour, Kirara saw Inuyasha, still wearing his brother's clothes, lying on the ground by her side, his right side bleeding in several places where Kagura's blades had torn into him. Without his fire-rat coat or any armour, the blades had made light work of the fine silk of his haori, gouging into the skin and flesh below.

"You fool, you almost lost your arm!" Kirara said weakly, clawing at the sea of silver hair around her in an attempt to uncover Inuyasha's face. "What were you thinking coming out here unarmed?"

Kirara paused, her brow furrowing as she spotted a sheathed sword clenched in Inuyasha's hand; but it was not the Tetsusaiga.

"Inu…"

Kirara froze, her eyes locking onto the two purple stripes on the hand holding the sword. As she stared at the hand, a line of blood trickled down from under the sleeve, dripping off of the knuckles.

Her saviour was not Inuyasha.

"Get… Out of here."

Kirara gasped as Sesshomaru slowly sat up, turning to face her. Apparently only one blade had hit his face, leaving a long but shallow slash down one cheek. His long silver hair had stuck to the wound, and with his one remaining arm incapacitated he had no way of moving it from his wound.

"Move," he growled, narrowing his eyes.

"But…" Kirara began. "But you're badly hurt! And you don't even have any armour!"

Kirara's eyes moved back to the sword in his hand, her head tilting and her frown deepening in confusion.

"Why did you bring the Tenseiga?" she asked, moving her eyes back to his.

"I thought I might need it," Sesshomaru replied.

Kirara opened her mouth to reply but stopped again as she realised Sesshomaru's meaning. He had assumed that she had perished in her battle, and he had taken the sword to revive her; or at least, she assumed that was what he meant.

"Kagura!" Inuyasha yelled, dropping down behind Kagura, clutching the Tetsusaiga in both hands. "Die! Wind Scar!"

"Inuyasha, no!" Kirara screamed.

But it was too late. Inuyasha swung his sword down, slicing through the Wind Scar, five blasts of energy firing out towards Kagura, Kirara and Sesshomaru. Kirara gasped, closing her eyes instinctively against the bright glare of the Wind Scar. A second later, something hard collided with her, and she was thrown back, the static of an energy wave crackling around her.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** As the dust settles on the showdown between Kagura and the gang, Kirara is amazed to find that she has escaped with her life; but at what cost? **Chapter 20 – Kirara's Guilt**.


	20. Kirara's Guilt

**Recap:** Kirara fled from breakfast with Sesshomaru when she found she was unable to behave like the lady he expected her to be. When she left the castle, Kirara found Kagura trying to kill Jaken and abduct Rin. Saving the duo, Kirara was left battling Kagura, who easily over-powered her. All hope seemed lost until Sesshomaru came to Kirara's rescue; but when Inuyasha showed up with the Tetsusaiga, was Sesshomaru's rescue in vain?

* * *

 **Chapter 20 – Kirara's Guilt**

"Kagura!" Inuyasha yelled, dropping down behind Kagura, clutching the Tetsusaiga in both hands. "Die! Wind Scar!"

"Inuyasha, no!" Kirara screamed.

But it was too late. Inuyasha swung his sword through the Wind Scar, five blasts of energy firing out towards Kagura, Kirara and Sesshomaru. Kirara gasped, closing her eyes instinctively against the bright glare of the Wind Scar. A second later, something hard collided with her, and she was thrown back, the static of an energy wave crackling around her.

"Damn it, she got away again!" Inuyasha groaned.

Inuyasha began to hoist his Tetsusaiga up to rest the blunt end of the blade on his shoulder, but before he made it that far, Sango's Hiraikotsu smacked into his back, a blow that was feeble compared to Sango's usual attacks with the weapon, but was forceful enough to hurt badly and send him flying to the ground, his sword slipping from his grasp and landing on the ground a short distance from his side, powering down to its diminutive disguise of a rusty, worthless old blade.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Inuyasha groaned as he slowly pushed himself up.

"You idiot, Inuyasha!" Sango yelled at him, tears in her eyes as she spoke. "Didn't you see Kirara?"

"Kirara?" Inuyasha echoed.

Inuyasha turned his head in the direction Sango was pointing, starting in alarm as he saw Kirara lying flat out on her back, her eyes closed, and Sesshomaru lying splayed on top of her.

"What the hell?" he muttered, struggling to his feet.

"Kirara, are you alright?" Sango called, running towards her friend.

Kirara turned her head towards Sango, slowly nodding her head.

"I'm fine?" she said, her words coming out as more of a question than a confirmation in her confused state. "I was hit head on by the Wind Scar though, why am I still alive?"

Sango shook her head to tell Kirara that she did not know the answer to her questions, but that she was glad that all was well. Sango slowed as she neared Kirara and Sesshomaru, but she stopped abruptly when Sesshomaru lifted his head from Kirara's chest, turning towards her and growling, his eyes glowing red.

"What happened?" Kagome asked, stopping by Inuyasha's side.

"Kagura was here," Inuyasha replied. "I tried to get her, but she got away again!"

Kirara turned her head to Sesshomaru, frowning at what she saw. The sheath of his Tenseiga lay horizontally across her chest, with no sign of the sword itself. Sesshomaru slowly turned his head towards her, the red fading from his eyes. He faltered slightly as he moved his badly bloodied right shoulder, and looking down to his hand, Kirara saw that he had somehow managed to un-sheath the Tenseiga, and he was still clutching onto it.

"You nearly killed Kirara, you damn fool!" Sango roared at Inuyasha.

"Don't be so stupid!" Inuyasha grumbled, retrieving his weapon.

Kirara moved her eyes back to Sesshomaru, his uncharacteristically dishevelled appearance leaving her speechless. He tried to lift his hand again, and again she saw his face flicker in a small admission of the great pain he was obviously in.

"You used the Tenseiga to save my life," she said softly.

"Fool," he growled out, clenching his teeth together. "I used the Tenseiga to save my own life!"

"Huh?"

Kirara watched on helplessly as Sesshomaru snarled, his demonic aura rising, his eyes once more glowing red. He somehow managed to rise to his feet, his arm hanging limply at his side. Kirara pushed herself up onto her elbows, her face twisting as she saw more blood seeping down over Sesshomaru's hand.

"Get off of my land, now," he growled, standing over Inuyasha aggressively.

"I never wanted to be here in the first place, you stupid jackass!" Inuyasha shot back, standing as upright as he could with the pain he had been left with in his lower back after Sango's attack.

"Just get out, and don't ever come back," Sesshomaru snarled. "And if I ever see you again, I will not hesitate to kill you. And I mean all of you!"

Kirara gasped as Sesshomaru turned sharply, narrowing his still reddened eyes at her. The gang watched silently as Sesshomaru marched back towards the castle, moving far quicker than he normally did.

"What the hell is his problem?" Inuyasha grumbled. "Stupid jackass!"

Kirara turned her attention back to the Tenseiga's scabbard, which rested on her thighs. She slowly picked it up with one hand, pushing herself to her feet with the other.

"He looked badly hurt," Kagome pointed out. "What exactly happened out here?"

"Never mind about Sesshomaru, look at Kirara!" Sango said. "Kirara, how long were you fighting with Kagura?"

"Why didn't you ask us for help, Kirara?" Miroku asked her.

But Kirara ignored them all, her eyes studying the sheath she held.

"I've had it with him!" Inuyasha said decisively, replacing the Tetsusaiga to his side. "He keeps getting in the way all the time, and I've had enough of it! I can't kill him with my Tetsusaiga as long as he owns the Tenseiga, so it's pretty obvious what I have to do now."

Inuyasha started to march towards Kirara, much to the confusion of the others.

"What are you doing, Inuyasha?" Sango asked him.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Inuyasha sneered. "I'm going to steal the Tenseiga from Sesshomaru. He doesn't even like the damn sword, and I'm sure we could use it a lot more than he could! Gimme that, Kirara."

Inuyasha grabbed a hand at the scabbard in Kirara's hand, but she pulled it back out of his reach.

"What the hell?" he muttered, frowning at her.

"You're not stealing anything for anyone, alright?" Kirara snarled back at him through tightly clenched teeth.

"What's your problem?" Inuyasha snorted. "With the Tenseiga, we could save Kohaku!"

Kirara did not answer Inuyasha, but she did not offer him the sheath nor lose any of the aggressiveness from her demeanour either.

"Besides, you heard what that jackass said!" Inuyasha added. "He said he'd kill us the next time he sees us! And I might not always be there to protect you Kirara, so hand it over already!"

Inuyasha started to reach for the scabbard again, but was thrown back a step as Kirara punched him hard in the jaw.

"What the hell was that for?" he snarled, rounding on her as he touched a hand to the small speck of blood at one corner of his mouth.

"Learn some damn respect!" Kirara replied, throwing down the sheath and turning her back on him and then marching stiffly away from the group.

"What?" Inuyasha echoed, frowning after her in confusion.

Sango hurried after Kirara, touching a hand to her shoulder.

"Kirara, you're hurt," she reasoned. "Let's just leave this place and get your wounds properly tended to."

"What about the jewel shards?" Kirara asked. "Kagome said there were jewel shards southwest of here."

"It was Koga," Sango replied.

"Koga? What was he doing in these lands?"

"I don't know. Let's just go. It's for the best."

Kirara slowly nodded her head, and the two turned back to the others.

"Your belongings, dears," Rinko greeted them.

Kirara raised her eyebrows in question, surprised at just how quickly a team of Sesshomaru's staff had appeared with their remaining possessions.

"Let's just get the hell out of here," Inuyasha grumbled, grabbing up his own clothes. "This place always did bring me down."

Inuyasha marched off towards the barrier wall, followed gradually by the others once they had retrieved their own belongings, until only Kirara remained. She turned to Rinko, who put on a sympathetic smile for her benefit.

"Oh now my dear, don't look so sad!" she said. "But do you know dear, I think my late master, Lord Inutaisho was right. Cats do bring nothing but bad luck."

"Hey!" Kirara yelped indignantly.

"Come now dear, look at all the trouble you've caused for Lord Sesshomaru already," Rinko pointed out.

Kirara could not really deny that she had appeared to bring a lot of bad luck to Sesshomaru, particularly since her arrival at his home; but she would never outwardly admit to such a thing.

"The truth about cats and dogs is that they are long-standing enemies, dear," Rinko continued. "There will never be any trust between the two, they are both so very different. Obviously you forgot that for a brief moment my dear, and who could blame you, the Lord is such a charming, handsome young man, but always so out of your league my dear. You must remain positive: after all, Lord Sesshomaru has let you go with your lives!"

"Shut-up, old woman!" Kirara snapped. "I'm not in love with your stupid master! I never was! I despise the man! He is nothing more than a selfish, arrogant, cruel, and aloof dog! I never had any plans to be his, and I was brought here against my will! I wasn't even conscious when I arrived here!"

Kirara grabbed up her sword, moving to replace it to its sheath at her side, but pausing as Rinko began to talk again.

"Oh now dear, you have to remember that you are nothing more than a lowly–"

"Shut your mouth, fox!" Kirara yelled, turning her weapon towards Rinko. "Or I shall cut you a new one!"

Rinko obediently clamped her mouth shut, her eyes doubling in size in an expression of her fear.

"And don't concern yourself," Kirara added moodily, replacing her sword to her side. "You have my word that you will never see me in this place again. Ever."

Kirara turned her back on the castle then and marched off after the others.

'I won't ever come back here, and I doubt I'll ever see Lord Sesshomaru ever again,' she thought to herself, pausing by the edge of the barrier to take one last look back at the castle. 'Although not by choice.'

* * *

More than two weeks after their visit to Sesshomaru's castle, the gang found themselves back at Kaede's village. Sango, Shippo and Miroku were playing cards, Kaede was tending to her herb plantations and Inuyasha was perched on the wall of the well, peering down it all day and night as he waited for Kagome to return. She had gone home for another test, and this time she seemed to be taking longer than usual, making Inuyasha more unbearable than usual.

Since leaving Sesshomaru's castle, the gang had found no more shards and learned no more about the whereabouts of Naraku. Apart from twice tracking down traces of jewel shards and finding Koga at the end of their search, very little had transpired during that time.

"What's wrong with Kirara?" Shippo asked, rolling his eyes skywards.

"Women's problems," Miroku replied, placing down a card.

"What does that mean?" Shippo asked.

"I'll explain it to you when you're older," Miroku replied.

Sango sighed, looking up at Kirara for herself. Kirara was balanced on top of the wooden gate at the bottom of the staircase behind Kaede's hut, pacing back and forth along the top beam. Given Kirara's un-catlike clumsiness, Sango was partially amazed that her friend had not yet fallen; but Kirara seemed to be determined, and was muttering something to herself as she walked.

"Kirara talks to herself all the time now," Shippo pointed out.

"Shippo's right Miroku," Sango responded, turning to Miroku. "Maybe if you talked to her again–"

"I don't think that's the right thing to do," Miroku interrupted her. "I think that whatever it is that's bothering Kirara, it's something that she needs to work out for herself. This is just one of the challenges she will face with her new human form. It's very important that she learns how to conquer it herself."

"I suppose so…" Sango mumbled, looking down at the cards in her hand.

Meanwhile, Kirara was still pacing back and forth, completely oblivious to her friend's conversation about her. She was deep in thought, as she had been for many days.

'Naraku in his truest form,' she thought to herself. 'Kohaku free with Shippo. A red and a white priestess. Me returned to the form of a small cat. What do these things mean and how are they all connected?'

"I don't want to be a little cat again," she muttered aloud. "Surely the spell is broken now? But how can I be sure?"

Despite wanting to focus her attention on the other elements of her dream message from Midoriko, Kirara could not concentrate on anything but the thought of being trapped as a cat again. What if the next time it happened, it lasted for all eternity?

"Not good enough!" she said loudly, leaping from the gate to the roof of Kaede's hut.

Sango, Miroku and Shippo turned to watch her scurry over the roof and drop to the ground, landing in Kaede's field.

"Priestess Kaede?" she called.

"Aye, child?" Kaede responded, continuing to pick and prune her herbs as she spoke.

"I have a question," Kirara continued, carefully stepping over the plantations to walk towards Kaede.

"And ye think that I am the best person to answer ye?" Kaede mused.

"Yes I do," Kirara replied firmly. "As you know, I was under a spell until very recently."

"Sorry child, but there isn't anything I can do for ye."

"But I haven't even asked the question yet!"

"The question is about the power of the spell placed upon ye, yes?"

"Well, sort of, but–"

"The priestess who placed that spell upon ye possessed powers far in excess of my own. I could neither undo any spells cast by such a powerful priestess, nor could I replicate her spells. If ye seek such assistance, and your causes are indeed genuine, ye should speak with Priestesses Momiji and Botan."

"Priestesses Momiji and Botan? The red and white priestesses, of course! Thanks, Priestess Kaede!"

"You're welcome, child."

Kirara leapt over the fence of Kaede's field and began running across the village, streaking past her friends.

"Kirara, where are you going?" Sango called after her.

"I won't be long!" Kirara called back over her shoulder. "I'll be back before Kagome, and if not, just carry on without me, I will find you!"

"But Kirara!" Sango cried.

Sango groaned in defeat as Kirara leapt into the air, a burst of flames erupting around her. She emerged from the flames like a Phoenix being reborn, in her fire-cat form, flying up and away into the sky.

"Let's hope she can find some peace of mind after this little trip," Miroku said, without looking up.

"I hope so," Shippo sighed. "She was starting to scare me!"

* * *

"Be-gone from here, demon!"

Kirara hurriedly dropped to one knee, bowing her head low.

"Priestesses Momiji and Botan," she greeted the red and white priestesses before her. "Please, I have come here for your assistance in a matter of great importance."

"We do not assist demons!" Botan yelled.

"We slay them!" Momiji added.

"Please, I am a servant of Priestess Midoriko, and I have come here to ask for your help to decipher a message that she left for me," Kirara insisted.

"Priestess Midoriko?" Momiji muttered, lowering her staff and frowning.

"She is the priestess who created the Shikon Jewel," Botan whispered to Momiji.

"Yes, but she died many centuries ago!" Momiji whispered back. "How can it be possible that this demon could know of her?"

"Demons are immortal, Momiji!" Botan pointed out.

"I don't trust her," Momiji insisted. "I say we kill her."

"I agree that we should not trust her, but I must hear what she has to say," Botan argued. "Perhaps this message she speaks of can be of assistance to us all."

Kirara pursed her lips to suppress a smile. The young women obviously thought that she would not hear them if they whispered, a common assumption humans incorrectly made about demons.

"Alright demon!" Momiji called to her. "You may enter our temple."

Kirara rose to her feet, smiling and bowing her head.

"Thank you," she said politely.

Kirara marched confidently towards the two girls, only to yelp in shock and break into a run as they began to pelt her with a course salt.

"What are you doing?" she yelped as she stumbled into the courtyard of the temple.

"Purification salts," Momiji tightly replied, as she closed one gate.

"We had to be certain your intentions were not bad," Botan added, closing the other gate.

"Now, let me see…" Momiji muttered, gripping Kirara's chin between her thumb and the knuckle of her forefinger.

She turned Kirara's head until the two had locked eyes, holding Kirara's gaze until Kirara began to squirm.

"I see…" Momiji mused quietly, releasing Kirara.

"Let me determine her purpose," Botan said, stepping forwards to grab Kirara's chin in the same manner Momiji had.

Kirara silently allowed Botan to glare at her for a moment, sighing in relief when she finally released her.

"Priestess Midoriko cast a spell on me," Kirara began.

"She bound you to the form of a cat," Momiji cut in.

"Yes," Kirara agreed. "But the spell was broken recently."

"Your friend Sango made a wish that set you free," Botan offered.

"Yes," Kirara said, her voice a little slower as she began to worry that the priestesses had managed to somehow read all of her innermost thoughts.

"You are worried that the spell has not been fully broken," Momiji said.

"Yes," Kirara agreed. "Can you tell me if it has?"

"No," Botan replied honestly. "But we can help you with your other problems if you like."

"My-my other problems?" Kirara echoed. "What other problems?"

"You wish to learn how to behave like a lady," Momiji said.

"No I don't!" Kirara snapped.

"That was not what I saw," Botan said. "I saw that she wishes to increase her powers."

"No, she wishes to understand the power of another," Momiji argued.

"No, she wishes to understand the heart of another," Botan argued.

"No, but maybe you agree that she is the victim of an unrequited love?" Momiji asked.

"Oh yes!" Botan agreed.

"What?" Kirara snapped.

"Definitely," Momiji said firmly. "She is in love with one she can never have."

"All the signs are there!" Botan agreed.

"The five signs of a broken heart," Momiji sighed.

"Five signs of nothing, I love no-one!" Kirara snapped. "I am a warrior, and my purpose in this life is to oppose injustice wherever I find it and to assist humans in need of my guidance and counsel!"

"Sign number one: denial," Botan said smugly.

"Stop that!" Kirara roared. "Just because you looked into my eyes does not mean that you looked into my heart or my soul! You know nothing of how I feel! I only wish to fight!"

"Sign number two: anger," Momiji said, folding her arms in self-satisfaction.

"I'm not angry at anything!" Kirara argued. "And besides, he's already promised to another. A haughty, rude, pompous, self-centred, vain little mutt from the Northern Lands!"

"Sign number three: jealousy," Botan sighed.

"I'm not jealous of her!" Kirara said, waving a hand dismissively. "She's more than welcome to him, I would rather have my freedom, anyway! Why would I want to be enslaved to a life of living by his ridiculously high standards when I'm perfectly happy the way I am?"

"Sign number four: bargaining," Momiji sighed.

"Would you please stop that?" Kirara begged. "I feel bad enough thinking about him as it is! I almost cost him his other arm, and I endangered the lives of his ward and his servant! I brought him nothing but bad luck, just like his father said I would. I'll never see him again, it's all over."

"Sign number five: grief," Botan said.

"My, she is a quick healer!" Momiji remarked. "She went through all five stages at once!"

"Then we have successfully helped her recover!" Botan pointed out.

"I didn't come here to ask for your help to recover from anything but Priestess Midoriko's spell!" Kirara snapped irritably. "I couldn't care what has become of Lord Sesshomaru!"

"Ooh, Lord Sesshomaru!" Botan cooed. "He's a Lord! Momiji, you were right! She does wish to become a lady, to please her Lord!"

"What?" Kirara yelped. "Don't be so ridiculous! Lord Sesshomaru is a dog demon. A dog demon! I am a cat demon? It could never be between us."

"Botan!" Momiji said. "You were right too! She wishes to increase her powers to impress the powerful dog demon and win his heart!"

"You two are really starting to try my patience…" Kirara growled.

"And you were right about her wishing to understand his powers, Momiji!" Botan added.

"And you were right about her wishing to understand his heart, Botan!" Momiji replied.

"Alright, you were both partially right with those last two points, I'll give you both that…" Kirara said slowly, walking away from the two priestesses.

"We were right!" Botan squealed.

"I wish to understand the full extent of the power of both the Tenseiga and the Tokijin," Kirara continued. "And I wish to understand how Lord Sesshomaru was able to control the evil aura of the Tokijin when no other being could."

"I was right!" Momiji rejoiced.

"And I wish to know why Lord Sesshomaru, who despises mortals, has taken in a young human girl, and is caring for her as if she were his own child," Kirara added.

"I was right too!" Botan cried.

"And you are harbouring feelings of guilt," Momiji added.

"Yes, guilt," Botan agreed.

"I already explained that," Kirara said dully. "He saved my life from another demon, but almost lost his one remaining arm in the process. If he had lost it, I don't know what I would have done."

Kirara sat down onto the ground, crossing her legs in front of herself and hanging her head.

"Although, after having given the events of that night much thought, I do now realise that it was never his intention to save my life," she added morosely. "He came to save Rin. That was why he took the Tenseiga, and that was why he threw himself into harm's way. He only sought to look after Rin and his own life. I was just lucky to get in the way of his efforts. My stupidity almost cost him his arm. What would I have done if he had lost his arm?"

"Well you would have come to us, of course!" Momiji said, eying Kirara over as though she had just said something terribly stupid.

"I would have?" Kirara asked, tilting her head to look up at the red priestess.

"Of course you would have!" Botan replied. "Seeing that your intentions are good, and since this dog demon you speak of is obviously also good, we could lend our assistance!"

"You would do that?" Kirara asked, turning to the white priestess.

"Of course we would!" Momiji replied. "Provided your intentions are good and his heart is true, there is not a problem!"

Kirara paused, a small voice inside her head warning her that Sesshomaru did not exactly have a true heart, but she quickly silenced that thought for fear that the priestesses would hear it and respond unfavourably.

"But what can you possibly do to help?" Kirara asked.

"Well for a start, why don't we take a look at this Lord Sesshomaru?" Botan asked.

"An excellent idea," Momiji agreed.

Kirara frowned, but both girls held a hand out towards her, smiling amiably. Kirara took each of their hands, allowing them to pull her to her feet.

"Once we are done, I shall work on her elegance," Botan remarked.

"And I shall work on the spell," Momiji added.

"And I shall work on the plot to conjure him," Botan replied.

"Perfect," Momiji said with a nod of her head.

Kirara glanced back and forth between the two priestesses, her confusion rising with every word they uttered.

"This way, demon!" Botan said.

"M-my name's Kirara," Kirara nervously replied, more than a little wary as to where she was being taken.

* * *

Botan tilted her head to one side, her eyes widening. Momiji took a deep breath as though was about to speak, only to release the air in a heavy sigh, her brow settling into a frown.

"I must have failed," Botan said despairingly. "This is not the demon you told us of, Kirara!"

Kirara laughed nervously, wincing as Sesshomaru flicked his wrist, a deathly, acid-laced whip of energy extending from his fingertips and slicing through the kneecap of a desperate-looking human male.

"He is cruel, cold and evil, Botan!" Momiji exclaimed. "What were you thinking?"

Botan hung her head in shame and Momiji shook her head, averting her eyes; but Kirara could not look away from the liquid-like apparition Botan had conjured up before them. Using some sort of sacred water, some herbs and an incantation, Botan had managed to create a sort of window that apparently showed where Sesshomaru was at that exact moment and what he was doing. Kirara had always imagined that such sorcery required a strand of the person's hair, or one of their toenails or something, but apparently not.

The priestesses had convinced themselves that "Lord Sesshomaru" was as good as a saint, and so when Botan's spell displayed a cold, calculating demon tearing humans to shreds with a mere wave of his hand, the two priestesses refused to believe that the demon before them was the one they knew as Sesshomaru.

'Why is he killing all those men?' Kirara asked herself. 'He normally never bothers with humans, since he thinks they are so far beneath him. I don't understand this at all.'

Kirara began to contemplate that perhaps there had been some sort of mistake made in Botan's spell, and that perhaps what was happening before them was nothing more than an illusion, and not the replica of real life it ought to be; but then something flicked in the bottom corner of the image, and Kirara sat up alert.

"Wait!" she said, causing both girls to turn back to the image. "Look closely!"

The two priestesses leaned forwards, their faces twisting through expressions of fear, disgust, horror and anger as Sesshomaru continued to shamelessly slice and dice the human men around him.

"Look!" Kirara insisted, pointing at a point behind and beyond Sesshomaru himself.

The priestesses both squinted at the point Kirara pointed at, neither responding at first.

"A little girl!" Momiji eventually said.

"She's crying!" Botan added.

"The demon is killing her family!" Momiji concluded.

"Oh, how awful!" Botan wailed.

"No!" Kirara said hurriedly. "You don't understand! He isn't killing her family! He is her family!"

"What?" Momiji echoed.

"You mean she is a half-demon?" Botan asked.

"No, she is a mortal," Kirara replied. "Her family was killed, and this demon has adopted her as his own. Watch closely."

The priestesses obediently edged closer still to the image hanging in the air.

"The men this demon fights are all bandits," Kirara explained. "Just look at their clothing, and the stolen artefacts they carry with them. And you see the girl's clothing is torn. They attacked her. The demon has come to rescue her."

"Oh," the two girls said in unison.

Kirara began praying to every god she could think of that Sesshomaru would finish avenging Rin. He seemed to be deliberately picking off each man one by one, making sure it took at least three shots from his whip to kill them. He was being unnecessarily cruel; but again, this only proved that he was capable of feeling: he was acting out of anger and vengeance for the hurt that had been caused to one he cared about.

'He didn't take the Tenseiga to save me that night,' Kirara thought miserably to herself. 'He took it to save Rin.'

As they watched, Sesshomaru eventually finished his annihilation of the bandits, walking over to Rin. She gladly grabbed her fists into the folds of his hakama, burying her face against his thigh. He gently touched his hand to her head, his expression softening ever so slightly. The change in his expression was so slight, Kirara was sure the two priestesses would not notice it – to the untrained eye and one who was not familiar with the demon lord, he was merely an expressionless, cold-hearted killer – but Kirara could see the slight shift, the lightening of his eyes, the upwards twitch of his brow and the straightening of his typical displeased, downward scowl.

'He loves her,' she thought to herself. 'He truly does love her just as if she were his own child. He's so tender with her. How stupid was I to believe that he came to my rescue? His only concern was for Rin. After Kagura had threatened her, the stench of her tears and her fear hung thickly in the air. He smelt it and came running. I never even crossed his mind. That crazy old fox was right, I do have a lot to learn about life.'

"Please," Kirara said softly.

The two priestesses turned to her expectantly, but Kirara kept her eyes fixed on the scene before her. Rin stepped back from Sesshomaru, rubbing at her eyes with her fists. Sesshomaru turned his back to Kirara, touching his hand to Rin's back, his fingertips barely touching her between her shoulders. The two then began to slowly walk on. After a few moments, Rin skipped away from Sesshomaru, running over to a tree and disappearing around the back of it. She emerged a few moments later, staggering after Jaken, her arms locked around his neck as he tried to escape her hold; obviously he had been hiding back there throughout the whole affair like the coward that he was.

"Please," Kirara said again, her voice louder and clearer as she spoke with more conviction. "I am indebted to this demon. He saved my life, whether it was intentional or not. He risked his own safety for my sake, and now I am tied to him with the bond of my debt. I wish to repay the debt, to sever the bond and to forget about him. Please help me."

Momiji and Botan exchanged thoughtful looks before Momiji rose to her feet.

"I shall start work on the spell," she said decisively.

"And I shall conjure him," Botan said, standing opposite Momiji.

"Thank you," Kirara said, standing and bowing her head politely to each girl in turn. "But first, please let me leave this place."

The two priestesses frowned curiously up at Kirara, but she ignored their questioning eyes, turning and heading back to the courtyard.

'I can't be here when he gets here,' she thought to herself. 'I can't ever see him again.'

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** People are acting strangely around him, and nothing seems to be making any sense to Sesshomaru; is it all just a trick of his mind, or did that thorn really just pierce his skin? As Sesshomaru questions his sanity, Kirara receives a visit from her (least) favourite parasite who comes bearing a message for her… **Chapter 21 – Myoga's Warning**.


	21. Myoga's Warning

**Recap:** Kirara was saved from Kagura's blades and Inuyasha's Wind Scar by Sesshomaru, but he threw the gang out of his castle and warned them never to return. Feeling guilty and needing an explanation for her dream message from Midoriko, Kirara enlisted the help of Momiji and Botan.

* * *

 **Chapter 21 – Myoga's Warning**

"Oh my dear, whatever happened to you?" Rinko wailed, dropping to her knees in front of Rin and grabbing her by the shoulders.

Sesshomaru eyed the crazy old fox over, wondering why she always insisted on kneeling down before Rin. He could understand why she did it around Jaken, but Rin was almost as tall as the fox herself, negating the need for such an action.

"I was attacked," Rin whispered, lowering her head.

"Oh my dear, that's awful!" Rinko wailed, shaking Rin slightly in her enthusiasm.

"See to it that she has new clothes," Sesshomaru said.

It was true that Rin's clothes were torn and needed replacing, but his true motivation for giving the order had been merely to get the old lady to let go of Rin and get out of his sight.

"Right away, my Lord!" she gushed, pressing her hands and face to the ground by his feet. "I shall see to it that…"

Rinko's voice faded as Sesshomaru walked on. After the day he had just had, he was not about to listen to that annoying little fox blether on about inconsequential nonsense.

"Milord, it is not my place to question your actions," Jaken began as he appeared from nowhere at Sesshomaru's ankles.

"Then don't bother," Sesshomaru flatly replied, turning off the hall and closing a door in Jaken's face.

Sesshomaru was glad to hear that Jaken did not attempt to follow him, the door remaining closed behind him. He knew only too well what Jaken had been about to ask of him, for it was a question his most faithful servant asked him very frequently: why did he keep the annoying, weak old fox demon around?

Sesshomaru cast a short sideward glance at a painting as he passed it, silently observing that it was a picture of his father in battle. Rinko the fox demon had been just one of many weak, pathetic excuses for a demon that his father had taken to the castle. His father, it seemed, had collected such weak and pitiful creatures as though they were treasures of some sort; and unfortunately, these "treasures" had formed a large part of Sesshomaru's inheritance.

Fortunately however, most of the "treasures" Inutaisho had employed gradually left the castle after his death. They all disagreed with Sesshomaru for one reason or another, and whilst he really felt that they should pay for such mutinous ideas with their lives, he had promised his father many centuries ago that he would spare them; and so he let them walk free.

In fact, Sesshomaru thought coldly to himself, all the useless servants had left except Rinko. Even her son had left a long time ago. Sesshomaru had hoped that she would follow her child when he departed and leave the palace. And yet even upon hearing of his death at the hands of the Thunder Demon Tribe she still lingered on at the castle.

And of all the servants at his castle, Rinko the fox was the one who caused Sesshomaru the most emotional turmoil.

Rinko was a representation of all the things that Sesshomaru did not care to think of. She was employed to raise his children and befriend his mate; and since both eluded him, she merely hung around, like a metaphorical reminder from his parents of his duty to his bloodline to continue the family name. Like Bokuseno and Totosai, Rinko was impossibly old, and showed no signs of ever dying. Sesshomaru's first memories of the fox many centuries ago when he had been nothing more than a tiny pup were of an old woman, and even though since that time his mother had died, his father had died and he had grown into an adult, the talkative old fox was still the same old woman from the days of his childhood.

Sesshomaru cast his eyes up to a portrait of his mother in battle, his mind wandering back to her insistence that he choose a mate and continue the family name. He briefly wondered if Rinko was some sort of mysterious curse that his mother had left behind to make sure that he fulfilled his duties – after all, he had yet to see her hands or feet beneath all those unnecessary layers of overly large kimonos she wore, it was possible that she was not a real living creature – but he promptly dismissed the idea as nothing short of ludicrous. The fox demon, a curse? Surely even a curse was not this annoying or eternal.

Sesshomaru began the ascent towards his own private quarters, which were located at the top of the highest tower of the castle. He felt the need to remove himself completely from anyone or anything for a few days; but even as he climbed the steps, a deep sense of foreboding warned him that escaping reality was going to prove to be a far more difficult task than he had anticipated.

Sesshomaru halted, tensing the muscles in his chest as he tried to fight an urge rising within him. But, despite willing himself not to react, his found his nostrils sucking in a long, slow breath of air, as he stood outside the door halfway up the staircase to his room. As he released the breath again, he let out a small growl, narrowing his eyes at the closed door by his side.

Apparently the smell of fire-cat was going to linger there for a little longer than he had anticipated.

Sesshomaru forced himself to walk onwards. He had successfully fought the urge to enter that room his entire life, he would not succumb to it now. It was not his place to enter that room, it was a room reserved exclusively for his mate at times of intimacy. He had never particularly wanted to enter the room before, but since that fire-cat had spent a night there, he had suddenly found himself drawn to go into it.

Sesshomaru paused on the staircase, the door of his own room within his sights. He had never entered that room before because he had respected that it was a place for his lady; but, he thought to himself, the castle was his. All of it was his. Especially what was in that tower. If he wanted to go into that room, he would do just that.

Turning around, Sesshomaru hardened his resolve and marched back down the stairs, grabbing the sliding door and throwing it back. Without hesitating a moment longer, he walked into the room, at first feeling a little stupid when he realised that it really was nothing more than a room – just another one of many, many rooms – within his home; but then he breathed in.

That scent it was so… Not the scent of the fire-cat.

Sesshomaru began looking around himself, the unusual smell growing, completely masking any other scents that the room had ever held. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

Moving to the seeming source of the smell, Sesshomaru opened the shutters of the window, sniffing at the air outside the castle. Whatever it was, it was beyond the castle walls. Gathering up his demon energy, Sesshomaru levitated himself out of the window, and soared slowly over the courtyard, allowing his nose to guide him.

It was not a sinister smell, but it was certainly not one that he could trust. To his confusion, Sesshomaru found that the source of the rapidly over-powering smell was beyond the walls of his barrier. Whatever it was, it must be powerful to be able to pass through.

"Someone seeks to penetrate my barrier?" he asked, more to himself than anyone who may have been nearby.

Deciding that whoever it was beyond his barrier that was choosing to be so stupid deserved to die, Sesshomaru raced through the barrier, choking as the scent became too much to bear. Even though he was still airborne, Sesshomaru tripped over something that felt like a stick between his ankles, and he began to fall through the air. His eyes widened slightly as he saw the ground rushing up to greet him, unable to believe that he was powerless to stop it. Closing his eyes in anticipation of the impact, Sesshomaru braced himself for the effects of his fall.

When, after several seconds, nothing happened, Sesshomaru opened his eyes again.

"Huh?" he grunted, his face twitching with an involuntary show of emotion as he suddenly found himself lying on his back by the edge of his own barrier, facing the night sky.

It had not been night a moment ago, what was happening to him? Sesshomaru lay still for a moment longer, partly because he wished to contemplate what had just occurred, but mostly because his mind and body were once more at war with one another. It was a sensation he had often felt since the day his ungrateful, ignorant younger half-brother had severed his left arm; a sensation that he disliked and yet could not seem to stop from occurring. It seemed to happen just as frequently and just as intensely as always, no matter what he did.

He could feel his left arm. Even though it was not really there.

It was not that he could feel anything touching it, just that he could feel its existence. And, more importantly, he could feel its pain. It always felt painful. A crippling discomfort from which there was no relief. A trick of the mind, he was sure, and nothing more; and yet the pain was unrelenting. Particularly so that night. Really painful. Excruciating pain.

Sesshomaru let out a snarl, sitting up sharply and grabbing his left shoulder, his claws piercing the material of his haori and pricking the surface of his skin below. His body was contorted with the pain of an arm that did not even exist, what was this madness? And why was it so unbearable? It had always hurt in the past, but this pain was far worse than usual. Sesshomaru found himself growling through every breath he released, his demon spirit responding to the pain on instinct, perceiving it as a threat to his life.

Gulping hard, Sesshomaru repeated over and over in his head that the pain was not real, slowly forcing his shoulders to relax as he did so. Looking up through the translucent walls of his barrier, Sesshomaru could see Jaken and Rin in the distance. Rin appeared to be running towards him in a state of distress, and Jaken was running after her, looking even more upset.

Rising to his feet, Sesshomaru released his shoulder, relaxing his outward appearance to hide all signs of his suffering before stepping through the barrier.

"Milord!" Jaken screamed.

Sesshomaru began to slowly walk towards Rin and Jaken, his pace even slower than usual as the pain continued. Although, it was no longer so painful, more just like a discomfort again. An unusual, unsettling feeling that was almost nauseating in its intensity.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin gasped breathlessly, stumbling to a halt in front of him.

Sesshomaru stopped, blinking down at her questioningly. She had that salty smell about her again, her face was wet, she was trembling slightly and she was clutching onto three withered looking roses a little too fervently.

"Rin, I hope you have been well," Sesshomaru said casually, deciding that he obviously had, quite inexplicably, lost an entire day lying unconscious on the outskirts of his own barrier.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Master Jaken said that you had gone to see the princess, but I said that you wouldn't go without saying goodbye, and Miss Rinko said that Master Jaken was–"

"Yes."

Rin's face slowly moved to form a small frown, her lips pouting out slightly. Sesshomaru was fully aware that she had not said anything that warranted him saying the word "yes", but it had at least served its purpose: she had stopped talking. His left shoulder was now starting to cramp and feel as though a weight were hanging from it, and all he really wanted was to soak in the hot spring for an unhealthy length of time and then sleep for an entire day and night.

"I picked you some flowers, Lord Sesshomaru," Rin added, holding up the all-but-dead roses.

Sesshomaru nodded his head once in acknowledgement of her offer, but did not move to accept her gift.

"Milord!" Jaken squawked as he skidded to a halt by Rin's side. "Sire, I have been searching all over for you! Where have you been? And what happened to your arm?"

Despite Jaken's hysterical tone and generally ridiculous outburst, Sesshomaru found himself looking down at his arm. As he suspected, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. He slowly moved his eyes back to Jaken, but the toad still looked awestruck.

"Lord Sesshomaru, did you go to see Kirara?" Rin asked.

Sesshomaru turned his head sharply to Rin, his eyes narrowing at her remark. Why was she asking him about the pesky fire-cat at such a moment?

"Did Kirara use some of her special medicine to cure your wounds just like she did for Ah and Un?" Rin asked.

Sesshomaru paused, his mind completely forgetting about his troublesome missing arm as he tried to concentrate on what the two little creatures before him were talking about.

"Is this the work of the fire-cat, Milord?" Jaken asked cautiously.

Rin yawned openly, and Sesshomaru decided that this was as good an opening as any to rid himself of both the girl and the toad at once.

"You should retire for the night Rin," he said. "It is late."

"Yes my Lord!" Rin said obediently.

"Jaken, go with Rin," Sesshomaru added, pointing at the castle as he addressed Jaken.

Jaken gave him a look that suggested he wished to contest the point, but a continued, unblinking stare from his master soon cleared all doubt from Jaken's mind.

"Aye, Milord," he said dejectedly.

Jaken turned, his head hanging, and walked slowly back towards the castle, dragging his feet as he went. Rin reached her hand up towards Sesshomaru in one last attempt to force the flowers she had picked upon him.

"Goodnight Rin," Sesshomaru said, grabbing the flowers from her hand in the hope of hurrying her departure.

"Goodnight Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin cheerfully replied, before skipping after Jaken.

As the two left again, Sesshomaru allowed his hand that had been pointing at the castle to fall to his side, raising his other hand slightly to support the wilting flowers he still held. As Jaken and Rin neared the castle, Sesshomaru opened his hand to drop the flowers, hissing as a thorn tore at the skin on the palm of his hand. On instinct, he brought the wound to his mouth, licking away the small traces of blood left behind.

How odd that he could feel the cut, the blood and even his own tongue against a hand that did not actually exist.

Sesshomaru paused, his tongue still stuck out of his mouth. He crossed his eyes to look down at his own hand directly in front of his face, a small voice calling his own sanity into question at what he saw. That was his left hand – but he no longer had a left hand, so how could that be possible?

Deciding to test a theory, Sesshomaru lifted up his right hand, holding it next to his left. He could definitely see two hands in front of his face, but it did not make any sense whatsoever.

With his right hand, the hand he at least knew for certain was real, Sesshomaru pulled up the left sleeve of his haori, an action he had often performed to show his own eyes that his arm did not really exist in the desperate hope of ending the sensation that it did; but, unlike every other time that he had performed this action, this time he could actually see his arm. It looked just like it always had, save a long, thick scar that ran from the outer edge of his wrist up over his elbow bone to about two thirds of the way up his upper arm, where it merged with a second scar that seemed to run around the circumference of his bicep.

It was just as if his arm had been reattached somehow. All the scars from the original injury were still there, but now he had his limb back. But such a thing was surely impossible?

Being lured out of the confines of his barrier by an unusual smell, falling over and then spending a day unconscious from nothing were also all impossible things. This, Sesshomaru decided, was a dream. And it would end soon enough.

"Lord Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru stiffened, his eyes locking onto the small shadow that was floating towards him from the general direction of the castle.

"Oh my Lord, I was so worried out you!"

Sesshomaru watched as Rinko collapsed at his feet, bowing profusely before holding out a towel towards him, her hands and arms still concealed beneath her extreme clothing.

"I thought you might like to take a nice bath, my Lord," she offered.

'This isn't a dream,' Sesshomaru thought to himself. 'This is a nightmare.'

* * *

"Kirara!" Shippo cried, opening his arms out as Kirara landed in front of him.

"Shippo," she greeted him, crouching down and opening her arms to him.

"Did you find what you were looking for, Kirara?" Shippo asked, jumping up into her arms.

"Yes," Kirara replied, standing up as Shippo crawled around her back towards her shoulder. "Is Kagome back yet?"

"No," Shippo replied as he settled into Kirara's shoulder.

"No?" Kirara echoed. "She has been gone a very long time!"

"Inuyasha went down the well to go get her back," Shippo added.

Kirara cocked a small smirk, a darker part of her mind suspecting that Kagome's extended absence and now Inuyasha's disappearance were merely a sly plot the two had come up with to steal some precious time alone together. Since Kirara had forced the two to be more open with each other, she had noticed not only an improvement in their relationship, but also an increased desire for intimacy; something they could never have camping out in the open with Kirara, Sango, a pervert and a questioning young child.

"Where's Sango?" Kirara asked, deciding to distract both her own mind and Shippo's from Inuyasha and Kagome.

"She went for a walk with Miroku," Shippo innocently replied. "He said I should wait here, because he wanted to get armours for Sango."

Kirara snorted as she tried to suppress a giggle. "Get armours for Sango" was, she decided, Shippo's childlike translation of "get amorous with Sango". Although Kirara would normally have gone after the two, she knew that Sango would now be happy with anything Miroku tried; and if she was not pleased with anything he tried, she would very quickly put him in his place on her own.

"I guess that just leaves you and me, Shippo!" Kirara said.

Kirara paused, a voice in her head mocking her for her ridiculous attempt to sound cheerful. Even to her own ears she had sounded pathetic and false. But why was that so? Her friends were all happy and healthy, surely that was enough to make her happy?

"I'm tired, Kirara," Shippo said through a yawn.

"Yeah…" Kirara muttered, looking up at the full moon overhead. "Let's go to sleep for now."

Kirara made her way to Kaede's hut, carefully tiptoeing over to the back corner of the hut so as not to wake Kaede. Kirara sat down with her back to the wall, and Shippo gladly leapt into her lap, falling asleep with the speed and ease that only a child so young could manage.

For Kirara however, falling asleep was no easy task that night. She was torn between her thoughts of her visit to the two priestesses, the images from her dream and the rapidly growing distance between herself and her friends.

Kirara tried to pass the changing lives of her friends off as nothing; how many times had she been adopted as a pet by a young girl, watched the girl grow, help her train, listen to all her problems and then be cast aside when the girl became a woman, a wife, a mother? Sango was no different from any other of the many, many girls she had befriended over the many years of her long life, and yet Kirara felt a much stronger bond to Sango than she had to any other.

Kirara held Sango in higher regard than even Midoriko; letting go was going to be one of the hardest things she would ever have to do.

Kirara lifted her chin until her head touched against the wall behind her, her eyes rising to the ceiling in thought. Maybe letting go would have been easier if she had still been a cat, and their relationship had not developed into such an in-depth two-sided one. Maybe this hardship was another test.

And, Kirara thought to herself, why had she seen Naraku, Kohaku, Shippo and herself as a little cat again? What did it all mean? The priestesses, she told herself, had served their role from her dream – they had helped her repay her debt to Sesshomaru – and yet something still seemed amiss, as if they were still yet to play a role in her future somehow.

"Ah Kirara, am I glad to see you."

"Huh?" Kirara grunted, sitting forwards and blinking rapidly to clear her thoughts at the sound of a male voice inside the hut.

Shippo slid from her lap, groaned, turned over and continued sleeping as though nothing had happened.

"I've come all the way from the Inu Royal Palace, Kirara."

Kirara frowned, tilting her head to one side in confusion.

"And I can't tell you how glad I am to see you here. Alone."

Kirara stood abruptly, drawing her sword.

"Show yourself, demon!" she hissed.

Kirara scanned around the hut, but saw no traces of anyone or anything; but a second later, she felt a slight tickle on the side of her neck, followed by a sharp stinging sensation she was all too familiar with.

"Myoga the flea," she growled, slapping a hand against her neck.

"K-Kirara…" he said faintly as she pulled her hand away, watching him fritter through the air.

"What are you doing here, Myoga?" she asked as he landed on her upturned palm.

"I've just come from the Inu Royal Palace, Kirara," Myoga explained.

"Yes, you said as much," Kirara patiently replied. "What were you doing there?"

"Well…" Myoga began awkwardly.

"Why did I even ask that question?" Kirara groaned. "So you went for a feast. Why did you come back here?"

"I heard terrible rumours at the castle, Kirara," Myoga replied. "I came to speak with Inuyasha to find out if they were true, but on my way here, I made two shocking discoveries."

"And?" Kirara pressed.

"First of all, I learned that a demon is looking for you."

"For me?"

"I'm not sure. She is looking for your group, maybe not you personally, I couldn't be sure. She is accompanied by a dragon, and she is quite determined to find you all."

Kirara paused, a brief image of the dog demon princess riding on Ah-Un's back floating through her mind. She gulped audibly, but before she could give the matter too much thought, Myoga continued.

"And secondly, there is a terribly strong demonic aura, emanating from the west," he said. "It's very dark and very powerful, and it seems to be growing stronger by the minute. I first felt it as I neared this region."

"Do you think it's Naraku?" Kirara asked.

"I don't know," Myoga replied, shaking his head.

"Kirara?" Shippo groaned, sitting up and rubbing sleepily at his eyes.

"Wait here, Shippo," Kirara ordered, before running out of the hut.

Still holding Myoga in her hand, Kirara ran across the village and through the trees at the other side, her heartbeat hitching up a notch as she began to sense it. It was extremely powerful and sinister, and it did feel a little like Naraku.

Kirara arced off the path, dodging her way through the trees to where she knew there was an upward slope in the forest. Hurrying up the hill, Kirara then scaled the tallest tree she could see, standing up on the highest branch that would take her weight, looking out to the west.

Kirara could not see the light of a growing energy or a swarm of Naraku's poison insects, or even a mass of Naraku's demons; but she could feel an overpowering demonic aura radiating from a source far, far away. A demonic aura that was familiar to her somehow. It almost felt like Naraku, but not quite. It was like when she first encountered a new incarnation of Naraku; it felt like Naraku, but more focussed: instead of being several demonic auras swarming into one, it was the energy of just one demon, just one element of Naraku.

"I know this demonic aura…" Kirara muttered.

"Is it Naraku?" Myoga asked.

"No," Kirara said, shaking her head slightly.

It was not Naraku. It felt like Goshinki, the mind-reading incarnation of Naraku who had managed to bite through the Tetsusaiga; but how could that be possible? Goshinki had been killed by Inuyasha the day he broke the Tetsusaiga.

But, Kirara thought to herself, a cold shiver shooting down her spine, one part of Goshinki had lived on. His evil spirit still resided within the Tokijin, the sword made from his fangs. Which could mean only one thing.

"Sesshomaru…" Kirara whispered.

* * *

Sesshomaru stood by the edge of the swamp beyond the walls of his barrier, looking down at the surface of the murky water. A layer of ashes lay over the water, making the swamp look almost like a sea of lava. The two warring demons in the swamp had been quite big and of reasonable strength; but one sweep of the Tokijin had reduced them to ash in an instant.

Sesshomaru pulled his hands closer to his chest, shifting his eyes to the glowing blue light of the blade of his lethal sword. He had never considered that, by using the weapon with just one hand, he had only been accessing half of its power. The power he had been able to conjure up grasping the sword in both hands was like nothing he had ever experienced before; did this now mean that his sword was more powerful than the Tetsusaiga?

Sesshomaru slowly thread the Tokijin back through his belt, lifting up the left sleeve of his haori one more time.

The scars had gone, the pain had gone and even the discomfort had vanished. It was just as if Inuyasha had never sliced off his arm in the first place. But Inuyasha had sliced off his arm. Sesshomaru could remember it quite clearly. He had done it on the same day that he had claimed the Tetsusaiga from their father's grave, which, it had turned out, had been entrusted to Inuyasha to watch over.

Inuyasha was an ungrateful and dishonourable half-breed, totally ignorant to his heritage and completely unappreciative of it.

And, Sesshomaru thought to himself, there was really only one way to find out which sword was strongest between the Tetsusaiga and the Tokijin.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** With Kagome and Inuyasha still on the other side of the old well, Sango, Miroku, Kirara and Shippo are left to confront the threat of an incoming demon on their own. **Chapter 22 – Shippo's Surprise**.


	22. Shippo's Surprise

**Recap:** Sesshomaru's arm was reinstated, although he did not know how or why. Myoga warned Kirara of an approaching demon, and Sesshomaru discovered that having two arms again gave his Tokijin a new lease of strength.

* * *

 **Chapter 22 – Shippo's Surprise**

Kirara waded into the shallow river that ran through Kaede's village, pouncing forwards as she saw a streak of silver beneath the water's surface. She stood again a second later, a medium-sized fish lodged in her jaws. Kirara grinned to herself as she dropped the fish into her hands to admire her work; but the sound of disapproving voices nearby drew her attention away from her catch.

A group of young women were out in the nearby field, and all of them had stopped to watch Kirara. They all looked thoroughly disgusted and horrified with her, and, Kirara realised, it was not because she was a demon. Kirara slowly lowered her head, her face turning pink. To civilised people like them, she was nothing more than a wild warrior woman – no, not even that. She was nothing more than a savage.

Kirara let out a small sigh, turning her head slightly as Shippo splashed into the water at her side. Her face drained of colour as the child next to her effortlessly caught a fish in his hands, making it look both amazingly easy and perfectly natural.

"You can use your hands too now, remember Kirara?" he said to her.

Kirara's face turned red and she quickly turned her head away from him to hide her embarrassment.

"Where did you go with Myoga last night, Kirara?" Shippo asked.

"Oh," Kirara responded, turning back to the fox demon as her face slowly regained its usual colour. "Myoga came to warn us that a demon was tracking us."

"A demon?" Shippo echoed, his already large eyes widening. "Are we in danger?"

"No," Kirara replied. "I will protect you, Shippo."

Kirara narrowed her eyes as she pictured the dog demon princess landing with Ah-Un and challenging her to a duel. Maybe she could not catch fish with her hands, or carry herself like a lady, or even use a set of chopsticks, but Kirara certainly did know how to fight. And, after a shameful defeat at the hands of Naraku's wind witch incarnation Kagura, she was eager to prove herself once more.

"I will fight her when she gets here!" Kirara said, clenching a fist in the air determinedly.

"Wow Kirara, you're so brave!" Shippo said, looking up at her in awe.

"Yes, well, I am a warrior," Kirara smugly replied, turning around to place her fish down on a nearby rock.

"Kirara, Shippo!" Sango yelled, running towards the river.

Kirara lifted her eyes from her catch, her brow furrowing as she saw her best friend sprinting towards her in her demon-slayer's clothing, one hand at her shoulder, holding onto her Hiraikotsu, which was bouncing off her ankles as she ran.

"There is a demon girl with a dragon demon heading this way!" Miroku called to them.

"I'm on it!" Kirara called back, spinning around and leaping into the air.

Shippo tilted his head back, watching as the transformed Kirara snarled and shot off towards the forest, only looking away when Sango and Miroku stopped either side of him by the bank of the river.

"Oh," Sango said softly.

"She didn't let me explain," Miroku said with a sigh.

"Explain?" Shippo asked. "Explain what?"

"The villagers told us that a demon girl was on her way here with a dragon demon," Sango explained. "And so we started to prepare ourselves for a fight, possibly even for a jewel shard."

"But then we saw who the two demons were," Miroku finished. "They flew right over us. They were heading for the old well."

"The old well?" Shippo repeated. "So who were these demons, Miroku?"

* * *

Kirara slid back into her human form, landing as gracefully as she could by the old bone eater's well. She could sense two small demonic auras nearby, and their pitiful presence gave her the confidence she needed to look and feel brave. Drawing herself up to her fullest height, Kirara grasped one hand around the sheath of her sword, flicking her thumb upwards against the hilt, causing the blade to slide out a little.

"Come out and face me, demon!" she called out confidently. "Or I shall slice open every tree and bush until I find you!"

The scent of fear began to leak into the air, causing Kirara's courage to rise further still, and her confident smile to turn into an arrogant smirk.

"Come out, girl!" Kirara yelled. "Or are you too afraid of me?"

Kirara froze as she saw a small movement at the other side of the well. Slowly, a small red object rose above the well, hovering in midair. Kirara tilted her head to one side in confusion. It was some sort of mini-demon, a weak, gormless looking creature, one that she was sure she recognised from somewhere.

"We surrender!" it squawked.

"Koru!" a voice yelled.

"Koru?" Kirara muttered, lifting her thumb and allowing her sword to slide back into its scabbard.

"We didn't come here to fight!" the little demon wailed. "I didn't even want to come here, but I had to, she made me do it!"

"Wait a minute…" Kirara said, her mind recognising the demon's voice from somewhere.

Kirara frowned, lowering her eyes to the ground as she suddenly remembered being very intoxicated, to the point of being blissfully happy and in love with everyone around her.

"I know you!" she growled, pointing a finger at the little demon. "You're that little worm who incapacitated me using catnip in order to trap my friends and kidnap Shippo!"

The little red dragon yelped, and a second demon stood up next to it, turning to face Kirara.

"You!" Kirara yelped. "You're the female demon heading this way with a dragon? But you're just a child!"

"I am Soten, the last surviving member of the Thunder Demon Tribe!" the girl yelled back indignantly. "And who are you, anyway? And how do you know Shippo?"

"My name is Kirara," Kirara growled. "I'm the cat you trapped with catnip, remember?"

"Oh…"

Kirara sighed in resignation as the little demon girl blinked innocently at her, touching a finger to the corner of her mouth. As angry as she felt – and Kirara really did feel very angry, she hated the fact that a simple herb like catnip could so drastically alter her personality beyond her own control – it seemed pointless to Kirara to take her rage out on a child.

"Myoga said you were looking for us," she said quietly, folding her arms over her chest to stop herself from baring her claws or reaching for her weapon again.

"Myoga?" Soten echoed, her face blank with confusion.

"Never mind," Kirara sighed. "Why were you looking for us, Soten?"

"Oh, well…" Soten began, rolling her ruby eyes upwards, a look of feigned innocence dawning on her features.

"She came here because she used up all the crayons Shippo gave her," Koru said cheerfully.

Soten promptly punched the miniscule dragon over the head, causing him to squeal in pain.

"You mean to tell me that the dangerous female demon and her dragon are nothing more than a little girl and her pet worm, and their mission is merely to acquire some more children's playthings?" Kirara growled, sweat-dropping as she thought of how frantic she had been at the thought of fighting the dog demon princess.

"I just came to show you how much stronger I've gotten," Soten said, pushing her fists against her hips and trying to stand tall and proud.

Soten looked nothing short of pitiful; and yet Kirara found the image of the little girl dressed in boy's armour trying to be as strong as her older brothers had been a very sobering sight. Tilting her head to one side, Kirara could almost see herself just before her parents were killed.

"What's your speciality?" Kirara asked, the question slipping out before she could even think about what she was saying.

"My speciality?" Soten echoed, her eyes widening again questioningly.

"You said you've become stronger," Kirara explained. "How so?"

"I've been training with my lightning staff!" Soten eagerly replied, lifting up a miniature staff with a jagged metal head in the shape of two bolts of lightning.

"Do you want to show me what you've learned?" Kirara asked.

"Huh?" Soten gasped, turning suddenly very pale.

"I don't wish to fight you," Kirara hurriedly assured her. "I will defend myself only. Show me your offence."

"Um…"

"Soten's more of a tactician than an actual warrior," Koru said.

"Shut-up!" Soten snapped, swinging another fist at her dragon companion, who ducked out of the way, narrowly avoiding the blow.

Kirara smiled softly, walking up to the well. Both Soten and Koru stiffened as she drew nearer. Koru slowly shrank back and Soten pushed her chin up in the air in an attempt to appear more confident than she really was standing under Kirara's long shadow.

"You can spar with me if you want," Kirara offered, crouching down opposite them and resting her arms on the wall of the well.

"With you?" Soten echoed.

"Yes," Kirara replied. "When I was your age, I longed for someone to spar with."

"When you were my age, you were a cat!" Soten stubbornly replied. "And why are you not a cat any more? It doesn't make any sense!"

"I'm still a cat demon," Kirara gently explained. "It's just that now I can use my human form again."

"I don't understand. That doesn't make any sense."

"Kirara!"

Kirara turned her head, finding Sango running towards her, followed by Miroku then Shippo.

"I've found the demons," Kirara said dryly as her friend slowed to a halt by her side.

"We tried to tell you, Kirara," Sango replied. "This little girl has been causing all sorts of trouble with her trickery."

"Trickery?" Soten yelped indignantly.

"Indeed," Miroku confirmed as he joined them. "She's not very powerful, but she certainly is troublesome."

"I thought I told you to stop looking for vengeance on me and my father, Soten," Shippo said, trying to make himself sound far more mature than he actually was.

"I didn't come here for vengeance!" Soten snapped irritably, her face turning red.

"Nope," Koru confirmed brightly. "She just came here for some more of your crayons."

"Koru!" Soten barked, waving a fist at the little dragon.

"You came all this way for drawing materials?" Miroku asked in disbelief.

"No!" Soten replied, her face turning redder still.

"Oh, how cute!" Sango said, smiling to herself. "You came all this way because you wanted to see Shippo!"

Soten gasped, her face suddenly turning white.

"Yep!" Koru agreed. "She wouldn't stop talking about him after you all left."

Soten swiped at Koru with her staff, barely missing the little dragon, who cried out an "eek" of alarm as she aimed a second blow at him.

"You must be hungry, travelling all that way," Kirara offered. "And tired. Why not come back to the village with us?"

"I've just caught us all some fish, you can eat with us," Shippo added.

Soten turned to Shippo as he spoke, smiling shyly.

"Come on," Kirara said decisively, standing up. "Let's go."

* * *

"You're good!" Kirara said, smiling encouragingly at Soten.

Deep within herself, Kirara admitted that she had just told an enormous lie; but the girl was trying her hardest, and she was not about to discourage her. It seemed that Koru had been right about Soten after all: she was more of a tactician than a warrior. But still Kirara could not escape the uncanny resemblances between herself and the girl before her. The only major differences she could see were that this girl knew how to behave like a lady when the need arose, and she was, despite being a tad immature, very intelligent.

Kirara groaned inwardly as she thought back to how Soten had managed to eat a bowl of ramen with chopsticks, using the eating utensils as easily as though they were an extension of her own body. If a child could do it, what was Kirara's excuse? Kirara shook her head to shake the thoughts from her mind, trying to focus on more pleasant ideas.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly, as Soten doubled over in front of her, panting in exhaustion.

"I'm fine!" Soten stubbornly replied, standing up straight once more.

"I think that's enough for now anyway," Kirara replied, one eyebrow creeping up as she took in Soten's obviously worn out appearance.

"What's the matter, am I too much for you?" Soten said, pulling her best tough face.

"Something like that," Kirara dryly replied.

'This girl is so like me, it's frightening!' Kirara thought silently to herself. 'Always picking fights she has no hope of winning just to try to prove herself.'

Kirara froze, an image of Sesshomaru's giant dog form barking at her replaying in her mind from the night she had so foolishly challenged him to a fight. As Kirara began to consider her sheer stupidity for issuing such a challenge, she saw the rest of the fight play out in her mind; Sesshomaru lowering his head, growling so deeply, the fur on his chest was quivering, his fangs bared and dripping with green venom. She had known, in that instant, that his next move would kill her. Closing her eyes and acting out of desperation and pure demon instinct, Kirara had swiped her claws at his face, tearing four gashes along his cheek.

And then she had run away from him.

"You're a strange woman."

Kirara mewed in alarm, turning to find Koru floating by her right shoulder, the sight of the simple-minded little creature staring dumbly at her serving to momentarily wipe all thoughts of her own past failures from her mind.

"You're a strange excuse for a snake," Kirara recovered, narrowing her emerald eyes at Koru.

"I'm not a snake, I'm a dragon!" Koru wailed, his brow lowering into a disgruntled frown.

Kirara grabbed a hand around Koru's tapered torso, pulling him close to her face. His eyes widened and his face slowly began to turn blue in fear at Kirara's actions.

"I have eaten worms bigger than you," she growled at him. "Now leave me alone!"

Kirara roughly released Koru, turning her back on him and starting to follow Soten.

"You must be strange if you eat worms," Koru muttered.

"I heard that!" Kirara yelled.

Deciding that a tactless mini dragon demon really was not worth wasting her time and effort arguing with, Kirara continued walking after Soten, only slowing as she sighted Soten standing hiding behind a tree a short distance from Kaede's hut, peering round the trunk at something by the stone steps behind the hut. Following the direction Soten was facing, Kirara found Shippo slouched by the base of the staircase, lazily sucking on one of those unusual sweet things on a stick that Kagome brought for him from her era.

'I get it…' Kirara thought, smiling slyly to herself as she shifted her eyes back to the little thunder demon. 'She didn't come here for crayons, or to show us her strength. She came here because she wanted to see Shippo again. She likes him!'

Kirara rolled her eyes, musing over the idea that both Shippo and Soten seemed far too young to be thinking about things like love or finding a mate – when she had been their age, the only thing she had thought about had been fighting – but Kirara decided that it had been so long since she had held human form, doubtlessly some things had changed, this just being one of many. And, she reasoned, even many years later in her now adult form, she still thought of the same things she did when she had been Shippo and Soten's age, and so it was probably perfectly normal for them to think about love.

Kirara paused for a moment, realising then for the first time in her life that she had never really given love much thought at all. At least, not in the sense of her finding a mate for herself. She had loved friends and family, and she had enjoyed encouraging love to blossom between others, but she herself had never actually been in love with anyone.

'You will be mine!'

Kirara mewed louder than she intended to as an alarmingly clear image of the red-eyed dog demon lord demanding that she be his flashed through her mind. That, she supposed, was as close as she would ever get to having a mate for herself; and suddenly, not being in love did not seem like such a bad thing to Kirara. She even began to smile again.

'And if I ever see you again, I will not hesitate to kill you. And I mean all of you!'

Kirara gulped, hanging her head and closing her eyes. Although she had not wanted to be Sesshomaru's mate, she still hated the thought of him disliking her so much. His normally emotionless voice had been so bitter when he had uttered those last words to her and the gang the night she had fought Kagura, it pained her just to think of them. And yet why did it pain her so if she had no feelings for him?

"You're being strange again!"

"Why you!"

Kirara snarled as Koru sped past her, sticking his tongue out at her, but chose to let him go. It really was beneath her to chase after such a pathetic, powerless little imp. Instead she made her way quietly over to Soten, smirking at the fact that the girl was apparently too transfixed to notice her approach.

"What are you doing?" she asked abruptly, causing Soten to yelp and spin around, her face turning a little pink.

"Oh, um…" she began nervously. "I was just… Playing a game. I was hiding. I wanted to see if you could find me. And you did. Well done, Kirara!"

Kirara suppressed a groan, a small sweat-drop slipping over one temple.

"I don't like to play games," she said slowly. "But I know someone who does…"

Kirara grinned down at the little thunder demon, who gulped audibly, her eyes widening in alarm.

"Follow me," Kirara said, before turning and walking across the village.

Soten hesitated behind the tree for a moment longer, but Kirara continued to slowly move towards Shippo. After a short while, she heard Soten walking briskly after her, and she grinned to herself, only stopping as she neared Shippo.

"Shippo?" she said as she stopped by his side.

"Yes, Kirara?" he responded, sitting forwards.

"That thing you have there, do you have another one?" Kirara asked, glancing over her shoulder to check on Soten's progress.

"Sure I do," Shippo replied. "Kagome brought me a whole bag!"

"Excellent," Kirara said, her grin returning. "Why don't you offer one to Soten, and explain to her what they are."

Shippo turned to face Soten, who had stopped a short distance from them, her eyes wide with bashful interest.

"Well…" Shippo began. "Alright, I guess so."

"I'll leave you two to it," Kirara said with a smile, walking around Soten's back. "Have fun!"

Kirara put one hand on Soten's back and pushed her towards Shippo, forcing her to join him as he stood up. Pleased with her work, Kirara turned away from the duo, heading back across the village.

"You're weird!" Koru sang at her as she passed a rock he had hidden himself behind.

Kirara shook her head, ignoring the little red dragon and continuing on her way.

"You eat worms!" Koru yelled after her.

"And I'll eat you for my dinner if you don't shut-up!" Kirara yelled back at him over her shoulder.

"Eek!" Koru squeaked, dropping back down to cower behind the rock once more.

"Feh," Kirara grunted under her breath. "Damn kids…"

* * *

"And then we can go northeast again to continue our search for Naraku," Inuyasha finished.

Kagome nodded her agreement, and the two began to cross the village towards the small campfire their friends had built outside of Kaede's hut.

"Kagome!" Shippo cried as he sighted them.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha growled, stopping abruptly as he saw Shippo run towards them, followed by another immature demon and a small red imp.

"Shippo!" Kagome greeted him as he reached her. "And Soten! What are you doing here?"

"Soten's going to join us in our search for Naraku!" Shippo explained.

"What?" Inuyasha snapped, glancing back and forth between Shippo and Soten. "Hey, we don't need any more little brats running around when we're trying to find Naraku!"

"But Kirara said that she could come with us, Inuyasha!" Shippo argued.

"Kirara?" Inuyasha echoed. "Kirara, you idiot!" he yelled, waving a fist in Kirara's general direction. "I don't have time to be rescuing any more kids when we get into a fight!"

"Then leave the rescuing to me," Kirara called back.

"Keh, yeah, and we'll all be dead by the end of the week," Inuyasha mumbled.

"I heard that!" Kirara yelled back.

"Stupid…" Inuyasha grumbled.

"Oh cheer up, Inuyasha!" Kagome said, tugging lightly on his sleeve. "Come on, let's go join the others and find out what else we missed while we were away."

"While you were away," Inuyasha moaned. "You still haven't told me what took you so long."

Kagome sighed in despair, walking on towards the fire. Inuyasha followed after her, and Shippo, Soten and Koru ran off together to continue their games.

"Did you do well in your test, Kagome?" Sango asked as the duo sat down by the fire.

"Yeah, thanks," Kagome replied with a smile.

Kirara smiled warmly as Kagome tilted her head to one side, resting it against Inuyasha's shoulder. Inuyasha, without his previous hesitation, tilted his head to rest it on top of hers. Their once awkwardness around each other seemed to have finally faded away, and sitting so close together seemed like a perfectly natural thing for them to do.

'Just the way it should be,' Kirara told herself silently.

"Things were quiet without you," Sango said.

"But we found pleasant ways to pass the time," Miroku slyly added, reaching an arm around Sango's shoulders.

Although Sango blushed profusely at the suggestion, reaching one hand up to cover her mouth and nose, she still leaned into Miroku's embrace.

'Everyone here is so happy,' Kirara thought cheerfully to herself.

Feeling a little awkward sitting with the two happy couples on her own, Kirara turned her attentions to the children to watch them play.

'They're happy too,' she thought as she saw that Shippo and Soten were both lying on the ground, scribbling onto a large sheet of card with their crayons, obviously drawing a picture together. 'Everyone is happy because, one way or the other, they are in love,' Kirara silently concluded. 'Is being in love really such a wonderful thing? Midoriko was never in love. But then again, Midoriko was never happy. I know that look on Sango and Kagome's faces. I've seen it so many times before with the other girls I trained with when I was trapped under the spell. They always have that contented look when they fall in love.'

Kirara quietly rose to her feet, sneaking away from the fire to leave the two couples alone together. As she moved away from the group, Kirara took one last look around them all. Kagome and Inuyasha, together at last after all their problems with Kikyo and Koga. Sango and Miroku together, the monk having apparently learned to keep his "cursed hand" away from other women. And Shippo and Soten, who were still nothing more than children in Kirara's eyes, together in a different way to the adults of the group, but together and happy nonetheless.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Kirara!"

Kirara turned to see Koru floating by her shoulder, all happy thoughts sinking through her body and landing in a heavy lump in the pit of her stomach.

"Great…" she grumbled.

The heavy feeling in Kirara's stomach slowly began to twist, making her feel slightly nauseous; did this now mean that it was time for her to go? She had served her purpose to Sango just as she had done for so many before. Maybe now she would have to leave, and live alone in her newly rediscovered human form.

'But I don't want to be alone,' Kirara thought sadly. 'I don't want to leave my friends here, but I'm just in the way now. I'm not strong enough to protect them, and they are all happy without me. What am I going to do now?'

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** As Kirara ponders her next course of action, the gang set out to continue their search for Naraku. They soon find a demon who is looking to cause them trouble, but it's not Naraku… **Chapter 23 – Jaken's Mistake**.


	23. Jaken's Mistake

**Recap:** Soten and her dragon friend Koru joined Inuyasha and the gang, and, as she observed the others, Kirara began to question her role in the group.

* * *

 **Chapter 23 – Jaken's Mistake**

"Damn," Inuyasha grumbled moodily. "Don't they ever shut-up?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded him playfully. "They're just kids! And they're having fun! And they're leaving us alone, so let them get on with it!"

"I guess," Inuyasha reluctantly agreed.

Ahead of them, Shippo and Soten were talking frantically about something, their little legs moving almost as fast as their mouths in their excitement. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at them as he walked behind them, but Kagome distracted his attention from the two young demons by sliding her arm through his and smiling up at him.

"Hey," he said gruffly as he turned to look at her.

"Hey," she said back.

Kagome and Inuyasha continued to walk arm-in-arm, and behind them, Miroku and Sango were walking together, deep in conversation.

"It's for the best," Sango said. "This was the way the Monkey God told us that the large demonic aura disappeared to."

"Yes," Miroku agreed. "And since there have been no other clues as to Naraku's whereabouts, it is important that we follow this path. Let us just hope that there are no distractions this time."

Sango nodded her agreement.

"I just wish we could find Naraku and defeat him once and for all," she said sadly. "I can't help worrying about that wind tunnel in your hand."

Miroku looked down at his hand thoughtfully, before smiling at Sango.

"Don't worry about me, Sango," he assured her. "If my wind tunnel takes my life before we can kill Naraku, then that was just what fate chose for me."

"Miroku, don't talk like that!" Sango gasped.

"I'll be fine," Miroku insisted, taking Sango's hand in his. "Just keep smiling for me Sango, it helps me stay strong."

Sango smiled and blushed as Miroku lifted her hand to his lips, gently kissing her knuckles. The two then walked on, still holding hands.

"Everybody here is in love except you, Kirara," Koru bluntly pointed out as he floated alongside Kirara, who was walking at the back of the group. "What's your problem?"

"I don't see you in love with anybody," Kirara growled darkly, eying the irksome little imp over.

"Nope," Koru brightly replied. "But it's my duty to serve Soten. I was given to her when I was very young and she was even younger."

Kirara's eyebrows shot up as she suddenly realised that Koru was really no different from herself: both were demons who lived to serve and guide others. Both would always be passed from generation to generation of those in need of temporary companionship, but ultimately, both would always be alone.

"By the Gods," Kirara gasped quietly. "I'm nothing more than a worm!"

"Huh?" Koru echoed, frowning at her questioningly.

Kirara stopped walking, her mouth opening slightly as she watched sadly on as the other six walked away from her, oblivious to the fact that she had stopped following them.

'They wouldn't even notice if I stopped following them altogether!' Kirara thought in alarm. 'What am I going to do? Being alone when I was under the spell was never this bad. I never felt so many emotions as I do now, and I was always working towards breaking the spell. But now I have nothing! What should I do?'

"We're falling behind, Kirara," Koru pointed out.

"I didn't ask you to stop with me," Kirara returned, glowering at the little dragon, who seemed to have latched onto her against her will.

"Say Kirara, did you say that you thought Soten and I were another demon and dragon?" Koru asked thoughtfully.

"Yes," Kirara replied, relieved of the change of conversation and barely noticing that Koru was staring at something ahead of and above them.

"The dragon you thought I was," Koru began slowly. "Did it have two heads?"

"Yes," Kirara replied, frowning in surprise. "How did you know that?"

"Well, I think we just found it," Koru replied. "And there is a small demon riding on its back."

"Huh?"

Kirara turned her head back to the others, finding that they had stopped a considerable distance ahead of her, and Inuyasha had drawn his Tetsusaiga, which had turned red in his hands. All six were looking up, and, following the direction they appeared to be looking Kirara found Ah-Un flying towards them.

"Sesshomaru!" she gasped, before running off to join the others.

"Wait for me, you strange cat!" Koru wailed, shooting after her.

'Sesshomaru,' Kirara thought as she ran. 'What is he doing here? He must have tracked us! But why would he be looking for us? I wonder if Momiji and Botan managed to restore his arm…'

"What the hell?" Inuyasha grunted as Ah-Un landed with a thud in front of them.

Kirara skidded to a halt behind Inuyasha, faltering at what she saw.

"Damn it, I don't even need the Tetsusaiga to take care of this little problem!" Inuyasha said, roughly returning his sword to its scabbard.

Inuyasha then pushed the sleeves of his haori up over his elbows and cracked his knuckles, starting towards Ah-Un.

"I'll just beat you to a pulp with my bare hands!" he said confidently.

"Inuyasha, no," Miroku said hurriedly, bringing round his staff to slap it lightly against Inuyasha's chest, halting his progress.

"What are you doing, Miroku?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Just wait for one moment please, Inuyasha," Miroku insisted.

Kirara tilted her head in confusion. She was oddly disappointed to discover that Ah-Un had only brought Jaken with it, but her disappointment faded and was quickly replaced with curiosity when Miroku stopped Inuyasha from attacking the little troublemaker.

"Why are you here?" Miroku asked Jaken as the toad leapt off of Ah-Un's back. "Why didn't Sesshomaru come here himself to confront us?"

"Lord Sesshomaru did not send me here," Jaken replied. "I have come here on my own accord. And you should be thankful that my Lord is not here in person, you ungrateful human! Did he not promise to slay you the next time that he saw your ugly face?"

Miroku pulled his staff away from Inuyasha.

"I see," he said flatly. "Then perhaps I should just let Inuyasha beat you as he wishes to do."

"Alright!" Inuyasha said, his eyes sparkling maliciously.

"Unless you want to tell us why you are here," Miroku said, slapping his staff against Inuyasha's chest again to stop him.

"I came to speak with the fire-cat," Jaken replied, pointing at Kirara.

"Mew?" Kirara echoed. "I mean, me? But why?"

"Don't fall for his little tricks, Kirara!" Inuyasha warned. "Just let me beat the truth out of him right here and right now!"

"No, wait," Kirara said. "I'll talk to him."

"What?" Inuyasha echoed, eying her over as though she had just gone mad.

"I'm curious to know what he has to say," she quietly explained. "It must be something very important if he risked displeasing his precious master by defying his orders and coming all the way out here to see us on his own."

"I guess so," Inuyasha agreed.

"Alright, toad," Kirara said, stepping forwards. "You have my undivided attention."

"Come with me," Jaken replied, climbing up onto Ah-Un's back.

"Where are you going?" Sango asked, her face creasing as she started to grow worried. "Kirara, don't go too far, he might be leading you into a trap!"

"I'll be fine," Kirara assured her as she climbed onto Ah-Un's back behind Jaken.

"He's a very cunning little demon, Kirara," Miroku warned as Ah-Un started to lift off. "Don't fall for any of his tricks!"

"I won't!" Kirara called back to him.

'Although I do have to wonder what Jaken is planning,' she thought silently to herself as Ah-Un swept through the air, arcing over a hill and blocking her friends from her view.

"This will do, take us down," Jaken ordered.

Kirara tried to guess what Jaken was about to say or do as Ah-Un descended towards the ground, but despite sifting through many idea and possibilities, Kirara was still completely unprepared for what Jaken did actually say to her.

Once they had landed, Jaken slid off of Ah-Un's back, and Kirara followed. There was a short pause before Jaken turned to face her, but when he did, Kirara could not help the little gasp of alarm that slipped out of her mouth.

"Oh it's terrible!" he wailed, looking so distraught that Kirara instantly feared the very worst.

"Lord Sesshomaru has been killed?" she asked.

"No!" Jaken cried. "It's even worse than that!"

"Worse than death?" Kirara muttered thoughtfully. "Well then that must mean… He's taken the princess into the castle as his mate, and she has kicked you out because you smell so bad!"

Jaken's hysterics suddenly vanished, his mouth and eyes thinning in offence.

"No," he said quietly. "Exactly the opposite. And this is all your fault, you filthy cat!"

Kirara paused, once more feeling that being a cat for so long had really ruined her ability to understand the more subtle undertones of suggestive conversation. Presumably she was meant to understand what Jaken meant by his last statement. And, judging by the challenging manner he was eying her over, she was probably meant to have an extreme reaction, like anger, or to laugh at him.

"I-I don't understand," she eventually admitted.

"Of course you do, you loud-mouthed upstart!" Jaken snapped.

"Come closer and say that to my face, you smelly old toad!" Kirara spat back.

Although the insult had upset Kirara, the fact that she simply did not understand what Jaken was talking about was upsetting her even more, and making her lash out defensively in her ignorance.

"You have single-handedly destroyed centuries of honourable, noble tradition at the Inu Royal Palace, have you nothing to say for yourself?" Jaken roared.

'Wow,' Kirara thought, her anger fading only to be replaced by her surprise. 'Jaken really is upset! I wonder what happened?'

"Look at you!" Jaken continued. "You're weak, you're a cat demon, you're nothing more than a lowly soldier, and you are far too skinny!"

"Hey!" Kirara snapped. "Did you just come here to insult me? Because if you did, you had better prepare to defend yourself, because I will not stand by and take this abuse without a fight!"

"Vicious, aggressive, primitive girl!" Jaken growled, gripping at his staff.

"What the hell is your problem anyway?" Kirara yelled.

"You have corrupted my master's mind, and I have come here to stop you from carrying out the remainder of your nasty little plan, fire-cat!" Jaken yelled back.

"Corrupted your master's mind?" Kirara repeated. "Carrying out the remainder of my nasty little plan? What nasty little plan? What corruption? What the devil are you talking about?"

"Two nights ago, Lord Sesshomaru's left arm was somehow regenerated," Jaken explained. "When he discovered the extra strength he now has, he left the castle alone. We all thought that he had gone to finish off that worthless, ungrateful, half-breed brother of his, Inuyasha. Instead, he returned this morning with no blood on his hands. I'm sure you know the rest of the story, you worthless wench!"

"The rest of the story? You mean I should know where Lord Sesshomaru went and what he did?"

"But of course."

"No, sorry. You've lost me."

"Is this all a part of your little act, or are you genuinely as stupid as you now appear to be?"

"Jaken, just stop calling me stupid and explain yourself properly! Why are you here and what do you want from me?"

"I want a promise from you."

"A promise. What sort of promise? I owe you nothing, Jaken, so unless you start making some more sense, you will get nothing in return from me."

"Assuming you genuinely are unaware of recent events, allow me to now fill you in. Lord Sesshomaru went to the Northern Lands to visit the ruling dog demon dignitaries there."

Kirara's anger once more faded. Sesshomaru had gone to collect his mate. Jaken was merely acting out of jealous anger because he had been pushed down a rank by the arrival of the princess. And, Kirara wondered, what had become of poor Rin, who the dog demon princess had despised so?

"He went there to officially denounce the princess as his mate," Jaken finished.

Rin was still so young, and she thought so highly of Sesshomaru. Kirara began to consider going straight to Sesshomaru's castle to rescue the girl, but the thought was pushed back in her mind as she slowly began to process what Jaken had just said.

"He did what?" she asked.

Kirara needed to hear Jaken say those words just one more time, as she was certain she could not have possibly heard him correctly. There was no possible way that Sesshomaru had refused to take a pureblood aristocratic dog demon as his mate. Although Kirara had only briefly seen the princess, she did know that the woman was perfect for Sesshomaru: elegant, haughty, little, beautiful and possessing the ability to dress, walk, talk, eat and act like the lady that she was.

"He refused to take the princess of the Northern Lands as his mate," Jaken growled, every word coming out slowly and clearly, leaving no area for doubt in his convictions.

"He did what?" Kirara dumbly asked again.

"He refused to take the princess of the Northern Lands as his mate!" Jaken shouted out, his words stringing together into one long rant. "And it's all because of you!"

"Impossible!" Kirara instantly replied.

"I will only say this one more time, girl!" Jaken snarled impatiently. "He refused to take the princess of the–"

"Yes, yes, I heard that part loud and clear," Kirara interrupted him. "I was referring to your insinuation that Lord Sesshomaru acted this way because of me somehow. I fail to see how that could be possible."

"Is it not true that Lord Sesshomaru asked you to be his mate?" Jaken asked darkly.

"Yes, that much is true," Kirara agreed, trying to ignore the odd sinking sensation she felt in her stomach again. "But I did refuse him."

"Yes, but it is my belief that he intends to ask you again."

Kirara froze, every part of her body tightening. Sesshomaru was going to ask her to be his again? But how could that be? He had sworn to kill her if he ever saw her again, how could things have changed so drastically since that time?

'His arm,' she thought. 'It's because of his arm. He found out that it was me who requested that his arm be reinstated, and now he feels indebted to me! But surely he knows that this was only my way of repaying his debt to me?'

"And now I want a promise from you, girl," Jaken continued, waking Kirara from her thoughts with a gasp as she began to remember to breathe again. "I want you to promise me that you will refuse Lord Sesshomaru again should he ask you to be his mate for a second time."

Kirara slowly began to frown, considering what Jaken had just asked of her.

"I believe I already told you that I owe you nothing, toad," she answered slowly. "You are the one indebted to me, as I recall. I saved your ungrateful life from that wind witch, Kagura. You never even thanked me."

"You only came to save Rin, because you are obliged to save humans, it is your chosen purpose in life," Jaken bitterly replied.

"Not true," Kirara replied. "I smelt Naraku, and began to follow the scent. Then I heard you screaming for your life, and I ran to your aid without hesitation. You would not be standing here today making these unreasonable demands of me had I not reacted so swiftly."

"Hm," Jaken grunted. "You may well have "rescued" me from harm, but you could not save yourself, and my master was terribly wounded because of your stupidity!"

"I did not act foolishly, and I resent the accusation that I did. I acted out of honour. I knew Naraku, or any of his incarnations, could easily kill me, but still I rushed to your aid. A little gratitude would not go amiss, Jaken."

"You won't get any gratitude from me, fire-cat. And I'm not asking a favour of you. I only want you to tell me that you will refuse Lord Sesshomaru again. What is your problem? You refused him once before, why can't you do it again?"

Kirara lowered her eyes to the ground, asking herself the very same question Jaken just had. What was her problem? It was true, she had refused Sesshomaru without a second thought when he had asked – no, told – her to be his mate, why should it be any different now? Nothing had changed since that day. Sesshomaru was still the same aloof, pompous, emotionless dog who sought to kill Inuyasha. And Kirara herself was still the same carefree warrior, a cat who devoted her life to humans and who loved Inuyasha as though he were her own brother.

But something was different.

'I don't hate him any more,' Kirara thought to herself. 'My hatred for Sesshomaru burned inside of me, and the day I challenged him to a fight, I would have killed him. For the way he had insulted me, for the way he insulted my creed, and above all, to stop him from bringing harm to Inuyasha. But I don't feel that burning feeling any more. I don't love Sesshomaru, but I certainly don't hate him. I've watched him care for Rin, and I can't forget how he threw himself into harm's way the night I fought Kagura.'

Kirara began to chew on her bottom lip as she saw Sesshomaru in her mind's eye, lying over her, his normally immaculate hair ruffled around him. She saw him lift his head to face her, the gash he had been left with down his right cheek a red line that intersected both of the purple stripes over his cheekbone to mark where one of Kagura's cruel blades had made contact. His honey-gold eyes locked onto hers, a determination behind them that made her shiver just recalling it.

'Sesshomaru once said that he was never wrong,' Kirara thought. 'He never makes a mistake. Did he know what he was doing that night? Did he know that Rin was safe, and that it was only me that he was coming to the aid of? He didn't even stop to get the Tokijin or to put on any armour. He just took the Tenseiga. Is it possible that he does actually care about me in some way?'

"Stop dreaming and answer me, you stupid girl!" Jaken yelled, smacking the heads of his staff into the back of Kirara's left knee.

Kirara's leg buckled from the blow, her shock, combined with her distracted state, caused her to have a delayed reaction to Jaken's aggressive attack.

"Get away from me!" she snarled, starting towards him.

Jaken promptly held his staff up in both hands, and the head of the old man opened his mouth. Kirara knew what was coming next, and she quickly dropped to the ground, rolling out of harm's way as scorching flames spiralled out of the staff.

"Promise me you will refuse Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken ordered. "You are ruining his family name and you will ruin him!"

Kirara got to her feet, marching boldly up to Jaken and grabbing the staff in both hands.

"I will make you no such promise," she growled down at him.

"What?" Jaken squawked, tugging at his staff as he tried to wrestle it from Kirara's grasp.

"I will not promise what you have asked of me," Kirara repeated. "My heart is my own, and I will make my own decisions as I see fit. Should Lord Sesshomaru renew his intentions, I will decide how to respond on my own. Now get out of my sight!"

Kirara yanked the staff upwards, smirking as Jaken foolishly held onto it with all his strength. She swung the staff back, causing Jaken to scream in alarm. But still he stubbornly held on.

"And don't come back!" Kirara added, as she flung the staff into the air.

As the staff flew off out of sight, with Jaken still hanging onto it tenaciously, screaming for his life as he went, Kirara smiled in smug satisfaction, wiping her hands together and nodding her head once.

'Now I have to get back to the others,' she thought.

Kirara turned to go, only to find herself confronted by Ah-Un, who stood blocking her path.

"Hello," she said softly, touching a hand to each of its heads. "You had better go fetch Jaken and take him back to Lord Sesshomaru."

Kirara sidestepped to walk around the dragon demon, but Ah-Un mirrored her action, placing itself directly in her path once more.

"What are you doing?" Kirara muttered, frowning curiously at the dragon. "I have to go."

Kirara tried to sidestep in the opposite direction, but again Ah-Un moved to stop her.

"I can't stay here with you," Kirara said desperately. "I have to go back to my friends."

Ah-Un lowered one of its heads and let out a sigh, the other head moving forwards to nuzzle against her arm.

'This thing loves me!' Kirara thought. 'It wants me to go back to Lord Sesshomaru's castle! Is this some sort of sign?'

Kirara inhaled sharply through her nose, her eyes doubling in size at the very thought.

"Fetch Jaken, Ah-Un!" she said firmly, before leaping into the air.

As flames burst around her, Ah-Un ducked out of Kirara's way, allowing her to fly off in her fire-cat form. Kirara checked over her shoulder several times as she flew to confirm that Ah-Un was not following her, relieved when she saw no signs of the old dragon demon.

"That was close."

Kirara snarled in alarm at the sound of a voice right by her ear, snapping back into her human form and falling through the air in her shock. Kirara landed in a flowering bush, a mass of pink and cream petals bursting into the air from the force of her impact. As she slowly clambered out of the bush and got to her feet, silently acknowledging that her left leg still ached a little from Jaken's attack, the source of the voice appeared before her eyes.

"What in the name of…?" she muttered, her face twisting as she saw a small grey cloud hovering in front of her, emitting a small demonic aura.

Kirara mewed in confusion as an arm reached out of the cloud and punched the cloud three times. There was a puff of smoke, and the cloud dissolved to reveal a small red dragon with disproportionately large fangs poking out of its top lip.

"Koru!" Kirara snapped. "Did you follow me?"

"Sure did!" Koru replied cheerfully.

"But why?" Kirara demanded.

"Well, after you left, Miroku started hugging Sango because she was so worried, and then Kagome started whispering to Inuyasha and laughing, and then Soten was ignoring me because she has Shippo now, and then I decided that since we agreed to stay together, I would just follow you."

"We never agreed on anything."

"Well anyway, I didn't arrive in time."

"What do you mean you "didn't arrive in time"?"

Kirara's skin began to grow cold as she recalled just what she had been discussing with Jaken. Had this tactless little imp overheard the whole conversation that had just transpired?

"Well, I arrived just as the toad said…"

Koru cleared his throat before proceeding to mock Jaken's voice to perfection.

"Is it not true that Lord Sesshomaru asked you to be his mate?"

Kirara gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth.

"So who's this Lord Sesshomaru?" Koru asked, his voice back to its usual, grating tones. "And why did you refuse to be his mate? I mean, you didn't refuse when Jaken asked you, so obviously you regret refusing him now, yes?"

"No!" Kirara wailed, turning pale. "You spied on me? You heard everything that… I swear, if you breathe so much as one word of this to another living soul, I will kill you in the most painful way imaginable, Koru!"

"Okay, boss."

Kirara eyed Koru over suspiciously, finding his sudden agreeability more than a little out of character.

"Right…" she said slowly. "Well, let's go find the others."

Koru nodded, and Kirara turned back into her fire-cat form, flying off back to where she had left the others.

"Kirara!" Shippo cried as he sighted her.

"Kirara, what did Jaken want?" Miroku asked as Kirara landed, morphing back into her human form.

"Oh, nothing," she replied, waving a hand dismissively.

Miroku narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and Kirara realised that she was going to have to formulate a more convincing lie to deter the shrewd monk.

"It was just something about… The Tetsusaiga," she lied, as her eyes happened to pass over Inuyasha's sword. "He tried to make a deal with me. He offered me… Gold in return for the Tetsusaiga. I refused of course, and sent him flying."

"Literally!" Koru cheerfully added.

Kirara rounded on the little dragon, narrowing her eyes at him threateningly. She did not trust him to keep his enormous mouth closed about what he had just witnessed.

"Well that was a total waste of our time!" Inuyasha grumbled. "Come on, let's keep going! We have to head northeast and find Naraku!"

"Northeast?" Kirara blurted. "Could we maybe head east first, then maybe go north later?"

Inuyasha screwed up his face at Kirara's words.

"What are you, stupid?" he snapped. "The old monkey said Naraku went northeast, not east and then north!"

"But…" Kirara began nervously. "Won't we be entering the Northern Lands if we go northeast of here?"

"We're practically on the border of the Northern Lands already, Kirara," Miroku pointed out.

"We are?" Kirara echoed.

"Yes!" Inuyasha said impatiently. "Now come on, we're wasting time hanging around here like this! Let's go already!"

Kirara hung back as the others continued on the path, until soon they were a considerable distance ahead of her, leaving her alone with Koru again.

"Does Sesshomaru live in the Northern Lands?" Koru asked her.

"No!" Kirara sharply replied. "He is Lord of the Western Lands."

"So why don't you want to go north?"

"Never you mind, you interfering little imp!"

Kirara marched on after the others, trying to ignore the nagging concerns in her mind. If Jaken had indeed been speaking the truth, and Sesshomaru had broken his engagement to the princess of the north, then it was unlikely that she would cross paths with Sesshomaru in the Northern Lands. It was highly likely however, that she might meet the dog demon princess, or any of her family. Would they know that Kirara was the reason behind Sesshomaru breaking off his engagement?

But, Kirara wondered, was she really the reason Sesshomaru had ended the engagement?

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Jaken returns to the castle to report his findings to Sesshomaru, but he does not get the reaction he expected. Meanwhile, in an attempt to teach Inuyasha the art of patience, Kagome encourages him to play with Shippo, Soten and Koru; but things don't quite go as Kagome planned. **Chapter 24 – Sesshomaru's Smile**.


	24. Sesshomaru's Smile

**Recap:** Jaken called Kirara out to tell her that Sesshomaru was no longer engaged to the princess, and to demand that Kirara promise not to accept any offers that Sesshomaru may make to her. Kirara refused, and was alarmed to learn that not only were the gang leading her into the princess's home lands, but that Koru had overhead most of her conversation with Jaken.

* * *

 **Chapter 24 – Sesshomaru's Smile**

Sesshomaru slouched lower into the welcoming depths of the hot spring, resting his arms on the rocks at either side of his head. He cast a languid look at his left arm, still finding himself amazed that it really existed, and that it possessed all the power it had done before Inuyasha had cut it off. And, he thought to himself, he still had to repay Inuyasha for that sinful act. But he could not leave the castle again until Jaken returned. For some unknown reason, Jaken had disappeared with Ah-Un earlier that day, without telling anyone where he was going. Whilst Sesshomaru was confident that the little toad would indeed shortly return, he was suspicious as to why his most loyal servant would leave without first asking his permission.

Sesshomaru began to slouch lower still into the water, only to stiffen as he sensed Jaken walking towards him from behind. Sitting upright, Sesshomaru turned around, looking out over the rocks in time to see Jaken clumsily clambering up towards him.

"Milord, forgive me!" he cried breathlessly as he scrambled towards Sesshomaru. "I acted on my own accord and went to see the fire-cat."

"What?" Sesshomaru echoed, standing abruptly.

Jaken gasped as Sesshomaru's sudden reaction created a small wave of water that lapped over the edges of the rocks around him only to gasp again as he saw that his master was completely naked. Sesshomaru tilted his head slightly, slowly running his eyes over his little servant.

"What happened?" he asked, noting that Jaken's clothing had a few tears, and he was sporting a few new bumps, cuts and bruises.

"The fire-cat attacked me, Milord!" Jaken replied. "She defied me and then she attacked me in cold blood!"

"The fire-cat defies everyone," Sesshomaru flatly replied turning his back on Jaken and sitting back into the water.

"But Sire, she defied me by refusing to defy you!" Jaken continued, hopping up onto the rocks by Sesshomaru's left shoulder.

"You have wasted both your own time and mine," Sesshomaru calmly replied. "I will be leaving shortly."

"Oh, where are we going, Milord?"

"I am going to see my brother."

"Are we going to show him the power of the Tokijin, Sire?"

"You will stay here and watch over Rin."

"Oh."

Sesshomaru slouched lower, trying to relax his muscles; but the stench of the toad still hovering by his shoulder was making relaxing a very difficult task.

"You are dismissed, Jaken," he said quietly, closing his eyes and leaning his head back to rest it against the rocks behind him.

"Aye, Milord," Jaken agreed, bowing and turning on his heel to leave.

As Jaken began to hop down over the rocks towards the ground below, Sesshomaru's mind slowly rewound to the words Jaken had spoken in regards to the fire-cat. "She defied me by refusing to defy you".

"Jaken?" Sesshomaru said, opening his eyes sharply.

"Aye Milord?" Jaken responded, stopping halfway down the rocks.

"Why did you go to see the fire-cat? I don't recall giving you any orders to do so."

"Apologies Sire, but I panicked when I heard that you had turned down the princess of the Northern Lands!"

Sesshomaru began to ponder exactly how Jaken had found out that he had gone to the see the queen of the Northern Lands to refuse the offer of her daughter as a mate, but then he remembered that he had confided his actions in the grovelling little fox demon, who had doubtlessly floated her way around the entire castle and told everyone and everything that she came across.

Ignoring the fact that his list of reasons to kill the fox had just gotten even longer, Sesshomaru tried to remain focussed on what Jaken was talking about.

"And I remembered that you allowed the fire-cat to enter your private quarters, and you have never allowed any other to enter that part of your castle, Milord," Jaken added. "I was concerned that you might be thinking about taking the cat as your mate in place of the princess."

"I see," Sesshomaru responded thoughtfully.

"So I went to see the fire-cat," Jaken continued, slowly climbing back up to his master's side. "I know that she refused you the first time you asked her to be your mate, but I was worried that she might have changed her mind, after the kind hospitality that Milord bestowed upon her when she visited with Inuyasha, the fox cub and her horrible human friends."

Sesshomaru turned his head to look directly at Jaken, wishing that the little cretin would hurry his speech along and get to the point. He had an annoying habit of drawing things out and taking too long to convey simple messages; and in this instance, Sesshomaru was going to have to be patient, as he needed to know the full extent of just what the little imp had done. Although he would never outwardly admit to it, Sesshomaru was still recovering from the fire-cat's outright refusal of his offer. She had bluntly turned him down, not even considered accepting him, and he had been positive that she had been trying to attract him. Such a strange creature she was, he silently mused.

"I asked her to promise me to refuse you again," Jaken said meekly.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes slightly, a large part of him now wanting to throttle the toad; but he would have to wait just a little longer before he could act. There was a short silence as Sesshomaru waited for Jaken to continue, but Jaken stood silently by his side, his eyes lowered to the ground, a submissive expression of defeat on his face.

"And what did she say?" Sesshomaru asked quietly, inwardly kicking himself for being unable to hold the question in.

"Milord?" Jaken echoed, lifting his head and locking eyes with Sesshomaru.

"Did she give you her promise?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice betraying his inner emotions a little as a sense of mild urgency crept into his tone. "Not that I care," he hurriedly added, his voice once more perfectly smooth and emotionless. "I'm just curious."

"She did not," Jaken replied.

Sesshomaru paused, Jaken's words echoing around inside his head.

"She refused to promise not to accept you," Jaken said with a sigh. "I was so sure that she hated you Sire, I was certain that she would promise to refuse you one more time, but alas she would not. I think she has developed feelings for you Milord, and who could blame her, you are gorgeous."

Sesshomaru's eyebrows inched up slightly, and Jaken instantly became flustered.

"Not that I would know, of course Sire!" he hurriedly added. "But you are!"

Jaken laughed nervously, the sound paining Sesshomaru's sensitive ears to the point that he began to wonder if they were bleeding.

"Jaken it is not your place to decide who I do or do not take as my mate," Sesshomaru said sternly, relieved that the sound of his voice instantly silenced Jaken's ridiculous laughter.

"I know my Lord, please forgive me!" Jaken begged.

"We will discuss this matter further when I return, Jaken," Sesshomaru concluded, turning away from the toad. "I will be leaving shortly, and I expect you to remain here and take care of Rin. You will not be rude to her, and you will indulge her desires."

"Mi-Milord?" Jaken stuttered nervously.

"You will play her human games with her and you will enjoy yourself."

Jaken paled, his jaw slowly dropping open.

"And now you will leave me alone," Sesshomaru added.

"Aye Milord," Jaken said quietly, turning and climbing back down to the ground.

As Jaken slowly departed, Sesshomaru contemplated what his servant had just told him. The fire-cat he knew was a stubborn, headstrong wilful girl, who never hesitated to speak her mind. Therefore, he concluded, if she still felt the same way she had when she refused him, she would have gladly said as much. Surely this was as good a sign as any that her feelings had in fact changed?

Jaken had apparently set out to prevent Sesshomaru from taking the fire-cat as his mate, but, he thought to himself, Jaken's actions had had the opposite effect that he had hoped for. Sesshomaru slowly allowed the corners of his mouth to edge upwards as he planned out his next course of action. He would track down Inuyasha, kill him with the Tokijin and reclaim the Tetsusaiga, and return to his castle with the fire-cat.

For the first time in a very long time, Sesshomaru allowed himself to smile.

* * *

"Damn it, Shippo!" Inuyasha barked.

"Calm down, Inuyasha!" Kagome insisted, locking her arms around his waist from behind to stop him chasing after the little fox demon.

"Why do we need all these kids with us anyway?" Inuyasha snarled.

"Inuyasha, they're just playing!" Kagome pointed out. "Didn't you like to play games when you were a boy?"

"I was never that damn annoying when I was a kid!" Inuyasha moodily replied.

"Oh Inuyasha!" Kagome said with a sigh. "Maybe you should try playing with them."

"What?"

Inuyasha pushed Kagome's arms off of his sides and turned around to face her, his eyes wide in shock and disgust.

"I said maybe you should try playing with Shippo and Soten," Kagome repeated. "You need to learn how to be more patient, and I think that playing with them would help you."

"You want me to play with those little squirts?" Inuyasha grumbled, eying Shippo and Soten as the thunder demon chased after the fox, who was escaping her attempts to catch him by using his shape-shifting skills to his advantage.

"Yes, Inuyasha," Kagome said decisively, planting her hands on her hips. "Go and play with them."

Inuyasha paused, blinking repeatedly.

"I'm not kidding, Inuyasha!" Kagome said sternly. "I want you to prove to me that you can be patient and considerate around children!"

"Um…" Inuyasha began, his nose and cheeks slowly turning red. "Why?"

"Because…" Kagome began, before flushing bright red herself. "Because I have a little brother, and I don't want you being rude to him like you are to Shippo!"

"Oh…" Inuyasha said, slowly nodding his head.

"Well?" Kagome asked, folding her arms. "What are you waiting for?"

Inuyasha began to grumble indecipherable curses under his breath, but Kagome continued to glare at him, and he eventually gave in to her demands, and turned around, walking over to where Shippo, Soten and Koru were playing.

"Hey Shippo!" he said abruptly.

Soten and Koru yelped, leaping back as Inuyasha's shadow fell over them.

"What's wrong, Inuyasha?" Shippo asked, looking up at him.

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha demanded moodily.

"We're playing with this new toy Kagome gave us," Shippo replied.

"Why?" Inuyasha asked.

"Um… Because it's fun?"

"I don't see what's so much fun about playing with that thing."

Inuyasha thrust a pointing finger at the large, brightly coloured round object in Shippo's hands, his claw piercing into its surface. With a popping sound, the object suddenly began to shrink, wilting over Shippo's hands.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo wailed. "You broke it!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled over at him. "Watch what you're doing!"

"Stupid…" Inuyasha grumbled. "Can't you play with something else instead?"

"I guess so…" Shippo said sadly, placing the deflated ball down onto the ground.

"Well?" Inuyasha pressed. "Come on! What are you waiting for? Play with something else!"

"Inuyasha, why are you over here anyway?" Shippo asked.

"Kagome told him he had to play with us," Koru frankly announced.

"I never did like you, you little worm!" Inuyasha growled, brandishing a fist at the little dragon imp.

"We could draw again," Soten suggested.

"Inuyasha doesn't like drawing," Shippo replied.

"We could play pin the tail on the dog!" Koru suggested.

"Inuyasha won't let you pin a tail on him," Shippo replied.

"Damn right I won't!" Inuyasha snarled.

"What do you want to play, Inuyasha?" Soten asked.

"I don't want to play anything you little pest, I'm only here because I have to be!" Inuyasha growled, keeping his voice low so that Kagome would not hear him.

"We could play pin the tail on the cat," Koru suggested.

Shippo, Soten and Inuyasha all turned to Kirara, each adopting expressions of curious confusion at what they saw.

"What the hell is Kirara doing?" Inuyasha asked anyone who cared to listen.

Kirara was a short distance from the others, walking across a set of steppingstones that crossed a nearby river. She had three of Kagome's schoolbooks balanced on the top of her head, and she was walking very slowly and carefully, placing each foot gently yet firmly onto each stone.

"She has to practise how to be a lady," Koru explained. "She's learning how to walk like a lady instead of a man soldier."

"Why the hell would she want to do that?" Inuyasha asked, turning to Koru.

"She told me not to tell anyone," Koru replied. "Especially not Kagome. She's already lost two of Kagome's books in the water."

Inuyasha frowned, his curiosity rising by the second.

"Hey Koru," he said slowly, sitting down and crossing his legs in front of himself. "I've just had an idea for a game we could play."

"You do?" Shippo echoed.

"Yeah, I do," Inuyasha replied. "It's a really fun game. It's called "Spare Me"."

"What are the rules?" Soten asked.

"I'll go first," Inuyasha said, roughly grabbing a hand around Koru and dragging him up to his nose. "Koru, spare me the trouble of having to sharpen my claws on you and tell me why Kirara is acting so weird."

"She's trying to impress Lord Sesshomaru!" Koru shamelessly blurted.

"Wow Koru," Soten said quietly. "It's no wonder my plan to ensnare Kagome and Inuyasha failed if you bend under pressure so easily…"

"Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha echoed. "Why the hell would Kirara want to impress Sesshomaru?"

"I don't know," Koru lied.

"Really?" Inuyasha asked, squeezing Koru's body tighter.

"He asked her to be his mate and she said no but I think she's changed her mind and now he's going to ask her again and she wants to say yes!" Koru blurted out, talking so fast, Inuyasha had to concentrate to make out each individual word he spoke.

"Sesshomaru asked Kirara to be his mate?" Inuyasha said slowly. "No way!"

"Who's Sesshomaru?" Soten asked.

"Inuyasha's older brother," Shippo replied. "He's really mean and really evil. One time, he took Kirara away to fight with her, but she managed to escape."

"Wait a minute…" Inuyasha said slowly. "He didn't call her out to fight with her that day! If he had, there's no way he would have let her go alive! They didn't fight, he asked her to be his mate! That was why he took her away! He wanted to be alone with her when he asked her! Ha! The mighty Lord Sesshomaru fell in love with that stupid, clumsy, loud-mouthed, weak fire-cat!"

"Inuyasha!" Shippo snapped. "Don't speak about Kirara like that!"

"It all makes sense now!" Inuyasha continued, ignoring Shippo, his eyes watching Kirara slowly pick her way across the river. "Sesshomaru let us stay at the castle because he's in love with Kirara! He let us stay in the nice part of the castle because he wanted to impress her with all his wealth! And it worked! I can't believe she fell for all his crap! Damn, she's stupid! And what the hell is Sesshomaru thinking? Why would he want Kirara as his mate? All she ever does is argue all the time! Hell, the second time she met him in her human form she picked a fight with him and injured him! Damn!"

"Lord Sesshomaru is your brother?" Koru asked Inuyasha.

"Unfortunately, yes," Inuyasha grumbled. "And there's no way in hell I'm gonna let Kirara become his little bi… I mean his mate."

Inuyasha silently congratulated himself on managing to control his language around the children, completely ignoring the fact that he had not held back on using words like "damn" around them already.

"You can't exactly stop her, Inuyasha," Shippo pointed out.

"Oh yes I can!" Inuyasha replied, roughly releasing Koru. "I'll use the Tetsusaiga, that oughta stop her!"

"I don't think you can stop Kirara with your strength, Inuyasha," Soten began.

"What the hell are you talking about, I'm a lot stronger than she is!" Inuyasha snapped.

"But this isn't a battle of strength, it's a battle of wits," Soten pointed out.

"And Inuyasha is a witless wonder," Shippo said cheerfully.

Inuyasha slammed a hand against Shippo's head, mashing him into the ground. As Shippo beat his fists against the ground and cried for Inuyasha to release him, Inuyasha turned to Soten.

"Then what do you suggest, Soten?" he asked sarcastically.

"I suggest you find a smarter way to stop Kirara," Soten replied. "Incapacitate her. If you fight her, you will only make Sango and Kagome angry."

"Good point," Inuyasha conceded. "But how can I incapacitate Kirara without smacking her?"

"You could do what Koru did to stop her the day I challenged Shippo to a duel," Soten replied. "Use catnip."

"Catnip?"

Inuyasha slowly rolled his eyes upwards, casting his mind back to a time when he had been travelling through a forest with the others, and Kirara had suddenly found a catnip plant. Sango had been unable to pull her away from it, and in the end, Inuyasha had been forced to fight with her to get her away from it. Afterwards, Kirara had become submissive and pliable, and spent most of the rest of that day rubbing against Inuyasha's legs, weaving in and out of his ankles and almost tripping him up as he walked.

"But will that stuff still work now that she has a human form?" Inuyasha asked, looking down at Soten again.

"Of course it will!" Soten confidently replied. "She's still a cat, isn't she?"

"I guess so…" Inuyasha agreed.

Inuyasha then began to slowly smile as he imagined Kirara weaving in and out of his ankles in her human form, crawling around on all fours and rubbing her face against his legs. He began to laugh at the thought, his laughter becoming louder and more menacing, until everyone else, including even Kirara herself had stopped to watch him questioningly.

"Okay kids," Inuyasha whispered, lowering his head and beckoning for the young demons to move closer to him. "For our next game, I want you all to go and find some catnip. Take it back here, but don't let anyone see you. And try not to let Kirara smell it before you give it to me, got that?"

Shippo, Soten and Koru all nodded their agreement.

"Go!" Inuyasha said, dismissing them to set about their duty.

Inuyasha sat back, smirking to himself.

"Hey, you look like you're having fun!" Kagome greeted him, sitting down next to him.

"Oh yeah," he said slyly. "I'm having a lot of fun!"

"Good!" Kagome said cheerfully, nudging her shoulder against his affectionately. "You see, didn't I tell you that kids can be fun? I knew you'd enjoy yourself once you just relaxed and joined in their games!"

Inuyasha nodded, his grin so wide, his eyes were forced shut.

"Oh Inuyasha!" Kagome gushed, grabbing her arms around his shoulders. "I'm so proud of you!"

* * *

Sango sniffed at the air, frowning as the smell from the campfire became stronger and more familiar.

"What is that?" Miroku asked, sniffing at the air.

"It smells like…" Kagome began, sniffing again before continuing. "Kinda like burning catnip."

"Catnip?" Sango echoed, her eyes widening. "Kirara!"

Sango, Miroku and Kagome all turned to the campfire, finding Kirara standing over it, inhaling the fumes deeply, a contented smile slowly spreading over her face.

"Kirara, get away from there!" Sango yelled, racing towards the fire.

Miroku and Kagome ran after her, skidding to a halt as Sango shoved Kirara roughly away from the fire. Kirara staggered to one side, swayed around a little, then began to fall over. Miroku leapt towards her, catching her arms as she fell backwards.

"Wow," Kirara said softly as she looked up as him from her almost horizontal position. "Your face is the wrong way round."

"Inuyasha!" Sango called, as Inuyasha appeared, carrying an armful of firewood. "Where are you getting that wood from?"

Inuyasha dropped the bundle of chopped wood onto the fire, glancing at Kirara before answering Sango.

"The kids are finding it for me," he replied. "I'm just cutting it up."

"I'll go warn them not to pick any more catnip," Kagome said to Sango. "They probably don't even realise what it is."

"Thank you, Kagome!" Sango called after her.

"What happened to her?" Inuyasha asked, nodding his head at Kirara as Miroku tried to help her stand upright.

"There must have been some catnip amongst the firewood," Miroku explained.

"Catnip?" Inuyasha echoed, feigning innocence.

"One sniff of catnip for Kirara is as bad as a human drinking two jugs of sake," Sango explained. "Don't you remember what happened the last few times Kirara found catnip?"

"Um…" Inuyasha mumbled, pretending to look thoughtful.

"The last time I remember her finding any was when we were all tricked by… Soten…" Miroku said slowly.

"Yes, that's right!" Sango agreed. "It was just after Soten had kidnapped Shippo, we were flying over a forest, and Kirara caught the scent of catnip."

"So soft…" Kirara said groggily, stroking a hand against Miroku's cheek.

"Isn't there something we can do to stop her acting so weird?" Inuyasha asked.

"Unfortunately no," Sango replied, grabbing Kirara's arm and tugging her away from Miroku. "If we can get her to sleep, the effects should wear off a little quicker though."

"It's late anyway," Miroku said as he tried to dislodge Kirara's claws from his sleeve.

"I'll try to help her sleep," Sango said.

Miroku watched Sango drag Kirara off, waiting until he was confident that she was out of earshot before turning back to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, I'm suspicious," he said, narrowing his eyes at Inuyasha.

"Huh?" Inuyasha echoed, his face turning slightly red.

"Doesn't this whole situation strike you as a little suspicious?" Miroku asked.

"No," Inuyasha slowly replied. "It was just those dumb kids putting stuff on the fire!"

"Shippo and Soten are not idiots, Inuyasha," Miroku pointed out. "Soten and Koru deliberately trapped Kirara with catnip once before, they knew what it was and what it did to her."

"Well I did warn you not to let those little brats travel with us."

Miroku eyed Inuyasha over sceptically, but Inuyasha turned away from him before he could probe too deeply into the situation.

"She'll be fine," Inuyasha said as he began to walk away from Miroku. "Think of it as a lucky break. She can't argue with us when she's like this."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Inuyasha's plan to incapacitate Kirara with catnip seems to have worked perfectly; or at least, it does until Sesshomaru turns up! **Chapter 25 – Inuyasha's Joke**.


	25. Inuyasha's Joke

**Recap:** Sesshomaru was happy to hear that Kirara would not refuse him if he asked her to be his again, and started planning to kill Inuyasha, take the Tetsusaiga and take Kirara. Meanwhile, Inuyasha hired the help of Shippo, Soten and Koru to play a nasty trick on Kirara.

* * *

 **Chapter 25 – Inuyasha's Joke**

Inuyasha, Shippo, Soten and Koru leaned closer to Kirara, who was lying flat on her back between them, her mouth hanging open and her arms and legs spread apart. Inuyasha reached one clawed finger forwards, poking at her top lip.

"Is she still alive, Inuyasha?" Shippo asked.

"Of course she is, stupid!" Inuyasha replied. "She's just sleeping, that's all!"

"Shouldn't she have woken up by now?" Soten asked.

Inuyasha pondered Soten's question for a moment before reaching back behind himself to retrieve a canister of water.

"Wake up, Kirara!" he yelled, chucking the contents of the canister over her face.

Kirara groaned, screwing up her face and squirming in response to his actions.

"She's fine," Inuyasha concluded, standing up.

"I don't think we should do that again, just in case," Shippo whispered.

"I'll get rid of the rest of the catnip," Soten offered.

"Here, give it to me," Inuyasha said. "I'll take care of it."

Shippo, Soten and Koru glanced around each other nervously, but Inuyasha began snatching the remaining catnip from them before they could argue the point.

"Can we trust him?" Soten whispered to Shippo as Inuyasha walked off.

"I don't know…" Shippo replied honestly.

"What happened to me?" Kirara groaned sitting up between them.

"You sniffed the fire and then you started acting all weird and then you slept for a real long time and then you started talking in your sleep and then you went quiet and then we woke you up because we thought you might be dead," Koru explained.

"I sniffed the fire?" Kirara echoed, touching a hand to the top of her head as she found a strange, painful sensation of something tightening across her scalp.

"There was catnip on the fire," Koru added.

"Catnip?" Kirara repeated.

She then groaned, flopping back down to lie on her back again. Even though she closed her eyes, she could still make out a shadow falling over her. Opening her eyes again, Kirara saw Koru hovering mere inches above her nose, staring down into her eyes.

"What are you looking at?" she growled.

"What were you dreaming about?" Koru asked.

Kirara glanced around herself, marginally relieved to see that Shippo and Soten had walked off, leaving her alone with the dragon.

"Nothing," she lied smoothly.

"Are you sure?" Koru asked. "You were talking an awful lot."

"What did I say?" Kirara asked.

"You were asking for help," Koru replied.

"Oh…" Kirara sighed, relief washing over her.

"You said something about being trapped, and you wanted out."

Kirara paused as she tried to remember what she had been dreaming about that would have inspired her to say such things. Although she failed to recall the exact content of her dreams, Kirara was aware that she had been thinking about Midoriko's message again. She had been trying to figure out if there was a link between fighting Naraku and her being robbed of her human form again, but the rest of her thoughts had become a blur.

"Food," she said, sitting up slowly. "I'm starving, I need food."

"Here you go, Kirara."

Kirara moved her eyes upward, narrowing them suspiciously as she saw Inuyasha crouched by her side, holding out a bowl of warm ramen towards her. It was uncharacteristically kind of him to make her such an offer, and she more than a little sceptical.

"You're not much use to us if you can't even stand up!" he barked impatiently. "So hurry up and eat already!"

Kirara, finding Inuyasha even more aggressive than usual, accepted his offer without any further questions, and began eating. Inuyasha stood from her side, turning and walking over to where Sango was sitting with Miroku.

"Take care of Kirara," he said as he approached them.

"What?" Sango echoed, turning to face him. "Why? What's wrong?"

Sango peered past Inuyasha, frowning when she found that Kirara seemed to be perfectly fine, keenly munching her way through a bowl of ramen, eating with enough vigour to rival even Inuyasha himself.

"Something's coming this way, I have to go," Inuyasha said darkly.

"I can feel it," Miroku agreed, standing up.

"A strong demonic aura," Sango agreed, standing up.

"Yeah, and Kirara still isn't fit to move, so just keep her here, no matter what, alright?" Inuyasha insisted.

Sango turned to frown at Miroku as Inuyasha took off, running at full speed away from the others.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"I don't know," Miroku replied. "Strange though, that he should want to combat this threat on his own."

"I think I'm going to go after him," Sango said.

"No," Miroku stopped her, holding up one hand. "I'll go. You stay here and make sure Kirara is alright."

Sango nodded, and the two went their separate ways. As Sango approached Kirara, she began to frown, something seeming amiss somehow. Kirara tipped her head back, drinking down the last of her food before dropping the bowl and falling back onto her back. Sango stopped abruptly as Kirara began to slowly writhe around on the ground, looking as though she was trying to scratch her back against a rock beneath her.

"Kirara…" she said slowly. "What are you doing?"

Sango slowly glanced between Kirara, who was starting to smile lazily as she rubbed her back against the ground, and the empty bowl by her side. Fearing the worst and praying she was wrong, Sango slowly crouched down, gingerly lifting the bowl in one hand. Moving the bowl towards her face, Sango cautiously sniffed at it, starting in alarm at what she could smell mingled through the ramen.

"Kirara!" she yelped, throwing down the bowl.

"What is it, Sango?" Kagome asked, hurrying over to her side. "Is Kirara still acting weird?"

"Someone put catnip in her food," Sango said, standing up at Kagome's side.

"Oh," Kagome said, eying Kirara over. "That's bad."

"Especially when such a powerful demonic aura is heading this way," Sango pointed out.

"Where did Inuyasha go?" Kagome asked.

"He went to stop the demon," Sango replied. "And Miroku has gone with him."

"I'm going after them," Kagome said decisively.

"You're right. Shippo!"

Shippo ran back over to Sango, followed by Soten and Koru.

"You three stay here and keep an eye on Kirara for me," Sango said to them. "Come on Kagome, let's go."

Without waiting a moment longer, Sango and Kagome ran off in the direction Inuyasha and Miroku had headed, soon catching up with both the monk and the half-demon, both of whom had stopped mysteriously. They were staring up at something in the sky, totally transfixed by what they saw. Sango and Kagome stopped a short distance behind them, looking up to see just what it was that they were looking at.

"What is he doing here?" Kagome muttered.

"I don't know," Sango replied dully. "But his timing could not have been worse…"

"Huh?" Kagome echoed, turning questioningly to Sango.

But Sango ignored Kagome, her eyes fixed on the slowly descending form of Sesshomaru.

"What does he want?" Inuyasha grumbled, clutching one hand onto the hilt of his Tetsusaiga, and the other around the sheath.

"I think it's safe to say that he's come here looking for a fight, Inuyasha," Miroku replied.

"That's fine by me," Inuyasha replied, bending his legs a little and tightening his muscles defensively. "How do you know he wants to fight?"

"He's come here alone," Miroku explained. "He never fights in the presence of the little girl. The fact that he's left her behind seems to indicate that he's here for a fight."

Inuyasha nodded, stiffening as Sesshomaru landed gracefully in front of him. Without thinking, Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder, groaning at what he saw.

"Not you two as well!" he yelled back at Sango and Kagome. "Damn it!"

Inuyasha turned sharply back to Sesshomaru as he heard the clunk of his brother's hand against the hilt of his sword.

"Miroku, get them out of here, now!" Inuyasha yelled at Miroku, wincing slightly as Sesshomaru began to slowly drag the Tokijin from his belt.

"Right!" Miroku agreed, turning and running back towards Sango and Kagome.

"Your fight is with me, Sesshomaru, leave them out of it!" Inuyasha said, drawing his Tetsusaiga and clutching onto it with both hands.

Sesshomaru's eyes moved from Inuyasha's for the first time since his appearance, and to Inuyasha's amazement, Sesshomaru's face flickered slightly, and he released the Tokijin, allowing it to drop back down through his belt.

"Huh?" Inuyasha grunted, looking over his shoulder to see what had caused such a reaction in his brother.

Inuyasha frowned as he saw Sango staring at Sesshomaru, frozen to the spot where she stood. Turning back to his brother, Inuyasha saw that Sesshomaru was still looking right back at Sango. Inuyasha could not think why Sesshomaru would want to spare Sango, but decided that he should at least use his brother's distraction to his advantage.

Re-sheathing the Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha turned and ran back to Kagome, grabbing her up into his arms and tearing off back towards their camp to deliver her to safety.

"Come on Sango, let's go!" Miroku said, tugging at Sango's arm as Inuyasha swept past them.

Sango ignored Miroku, a small frown creasing her features as she continued to stare at Sesshomaru. Curiosity eventually getting the better of him, Miroku paused, before turning to look as Sesshomaru for himself; but as he looked back, Sesshomaru lowered his head and began racing towards them.

"Sango!" Miroku yelled.

But before either Miroku or Sango could move, Sesshomaru had already sped past them in a blur of silver and white.

"That was close," Miroku said with a sigh of relief.

"He's only after Inuyasha," Sango replied.

"But why would he come after him now?" Miroku asked.

"I don't know," Sango replied, shaking her head. "But we'd better follow them."

"That's true. Inuyasha was taking Kagome back to where we camped last night, and Shippo, Soten and Kirara are still there."

"Kirara?"

Sango finally snapped out of her trance and began to run back after the others. Miroku quickly followed after her, both running harder as they saw Sesshomaru leap into the air and then swoop down onto Inuyasha and Kagome. Kagome was thrown to one side and Inuyasha the other, Sesshomaru landing in a crouch between them.

Kagome scrambled backwards on her back, but Inuyasha pushed himself to his feet, facing his brother who had already done the same.

"Draw your sword, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said flatly.

"I don't have time for this right now, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha rudely replied. "I'm trying to find Naraku."

Sesshomaru grabbed his hand onto the hilt of the Tokijin, and Inuyasha responded by drawing the Tetsusaiga, holding it out in both hands as the blade began to turn red.

"Interesting," Sesshomaru said quietly, pulling the Tokijin from his belt and holding it out in front of himself.

"My Tetsusaiga's a lot stronger now, you don't stand a chance, you stupid jackass!" Inuyasha growled confidently.

Sesshomaru lifted the Tokijin slightly, before grabbing onto the hilt with his left hand.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha yelped, his eyes widening at the sight of his brother's second hand. "Keh. I see you got yourself another stupid arm. You tried this before remember? It didn't work with the human arm and a jewel shard, and it didn't work with the dragon's claw, what the hell makes you think that dumb arm is gonna be any different?"

"Because this "dumb arm", little brother, is my own," Sesshomaru plainly replied, releasing his sword with his left hand and holding it up for Inuyasha to see.

Inuyasha moved his eyes to follow Sesshomaru's arm, a frown casting a shadow over his features as the sleeve of Sesshomaru's haori slid down to his elbow, revealing what looked to be the arm that Inuyasha had cut off. The arm was the same size, length and colour as Sesshomaru's, and it had the same two purple stripes over the outer edge of his wrist. This arm even had a set of claws on the end of it. Sesshomaru cracked his knuckles, the sinews in his arm twitching and flexing as he did so, causing Inuyasha's mouth to open slightly in wonder.

"Do you still doubt me, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru asked.

Inuyasha gulped as Sesshomaru's left hand began to glow green, and a familiar sharp, slightly floral scent washed over him; Sesshomaru had his poison claws back on his left hand, meaning that the arm he had must be his own.

"That's not possible!" Inuyasha said, moving his eyes back to Sesshomaru's face.

"My arm was regenerated," Sesshomaru replied.

"How?" Inuyasha demanded.

Sesshomaru paused, the green glow fading from his fingers. Inuyasha slowly straightened, lowering his sword.

"You mean you don't even know how it happened?" Inuyasha asked. "Arms don't just reappear after they've been cut off, you know!"

Sesshomaru looked down at his hand thoughtfully for a moment before locking his eyes back onto Inuyasha.

"It is not your concern," he said smoothly.

"Ooh, pretty!"

"Huh?" Inuyasha grunted, turning at the sound of a voice by his side. "Ah!" he yelped as he saw Kirara walking past him. "What the…?"

Inuyasha watched on in silent horror as Kirara walked up to Sesshomaru smoothing both her hands over Sesshomaru's left forearm. Inuyasha hurriedly turned back to look at Sesshomaru's face to gauge his reaction, startled by what he saw. For the first time in his life, Inuyasha saw the whites of Sesshomaru's eyes all around his golden irises as his eyes widened in an expression of his surprise.

"Wow, Priestess Momiji did such an excellent job with your arm!" Kirara said lazily, looking up at Sesshomaru, her hands still pressed against his bared forearm.

"Priestess Momiji?" Inuyasha echoed, his eyes lowering in thought. "Wait a minute…"

As Inuyasha tried to piece together what was happening inside his head, Kirara began to rub her cheek against Sesshomaru's hand, the soft, light sound of a purr reverberating in her throat. Inuyasha again shifted his back to Sesshomaru, his head tilting as he saw Sesshomaru chest expand as he inhaled deeply through his nostrils.

"Kirara!" Sango yelled, running towards them.

"Wait, Sango!" Miroku called, running after her.

Miroku managed to catch Sango, grabbing his arms around her waist to halt her advance. Inuyasha watched them until he was sure that Miroku had successfully stopped Sango before turning back to the scene directly in front of him, his jaw dropping as Kirara spun around and pressed her back flush against Sesshomaru's armoured chest, pulling his arm over her chest.

"She doesn't know what she's doing, please don't hurt her!" Sango cried.

Inuyasha knew that, especially since he had been the one to put Kirara into the situation she was now in, he should really say something – anything – to diffuse the situation, but words escaped him. Under normal circumstances, he knew only too well that his brother would have swiftly disposed of Kirara as if she were nothing, and yet Sesshomaru had not only allowed Kirara to touch him, but he was also doing nothing to stop her from continuing.

This, Inuyasha decided, could only be the result of one of two things: either Sesshomaru really was in love with Kirara, or he was simply so shocked that a demon as weak as Kirara was daring to touch him that he had temporarily been disabled by his disbelief.

Deciding that, since Sesshomaru had sworn to kill them all the next time he saw them, Sesshomaru must be only delaying his inevitable slaughter of Kirara, Inuyasha tightened his hold on Tetsusaiga, once more lowering himself into a defensive stance.

"Please!" Sango wailed, before swinging an elbow into Miroku's gut and slipping from his grasp as he moved his hands instinctively upon the blow. "Please, she's been exposed to catnip, she's doesn't know what she's doing!"

Sango began to run towards Sesshomaru, stopping as she neared his right side. Sesshomaru moved his eyes from Kirara for the first time since she had approached him, turning his head towards Sango. As their eyes locked, Sango took a wary step back from him, her determination faltering.

"You smell good," Kirara purred, turning around, pulling Sesshomaru's arm around her back, enclosing herself into a one-armed embrace.

Sesshomaru turned sharply back to her, and Inuyasha was as surprised as the first time to see the white of his brother's eyes, the one feature of his face that dared to betray his emotions, which he normally guarded and reserved so diligently.

"Do you taste as good as you smell?" Kirara asked.

Sesshomaru opened his mouth ever so slightly, and Inuyasha was certain his brother was finally about to say something; but before any words could pass his lips, Kirara leaned towards him and pressed her lips against one side of his mouth. Sesshomaru visibly stiffened at first, his eyes widening further as Kirara softly sucked his top lip into her mouth.

Sango and Kagome yelped and even Inuyasha grunted in shock as Sesshomaru's right hand opened out, the Tokijin falling to the ground by his feet with a clatter. Kirara broke her contact with him at the sound, turning her head to look down at the sword.

"Oh…" she said softly, before turning to look up at Sesshomaru again, a lazy smile spreading across her features.

Sesshomaru looked down into her eyes, slowly lifting his now free right hand towards her face.

"Stop!" Sango yelled, pointing the tip of her katana at Sesshomaru's throat.

Sesshomaru paused, his hand hovering a short distance from Kirara's head, his eyes watching Sango.

"She doesn't know what's she doing, it wouldn't be fair to hurt her now," Sango said, her voice shaking despite her best attempts to sound strong.

Sesshomaru lowered his right hand to his side.

"Thank you," Sango said, her voice breaking and her sword quivering as she gave into her emotions. "Surely you can see that she's not herself."

"Yeah," Inuyasha said, a smirk spreading across his face. "Because if she wasn't so ill, there's no way she'd ever have kissed you, jackass."

Sesshomaru turned to Inuyasha, his face once more an emotionless void.

"She hates you, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha said, speaking each word slowly and deliberately to savour the effect he could only hope they would have on his older brother. "She's always hated you, even when she was still a little cat. The only reason she hasn't tried to kill you again is because I made her promise me that I would be the one to take your sorry life."

Sesshomaru blinked at Inuyasha, before turning back to look down at Kirara, who was still smiling dreamily up at him.

"Keh," Inuyasha snorted. "Who'd have thought it? The mighty Lord Sesshomaru has fallen in love with a worthless little cat demon!"

There was a brief pause following Inuyasha's words, during which Miroku and Kagome exchanged confused glances and Sango lowered her sword, glaring at Inuyasha in disbelief. A second later Sesshomaru let out a vicious snarl, his eyes turning red and his hair rising up around him. He yanked his left arm back, causing Kirara to spin away from him and fall to the ground a short distance in front of him. Inuyasha made another snort of amusement, but before he could comment on what had just transpired, Sesshomaru grabbed up the Tokijin, swinging it around at his younger brother.

Inuyasha barely managed to catch the Tokijin against his Tetsusaiga, groaning with the strain of holding back Sesshomaru's sword.

"Die!" Sesshomaru snarled, grabbing his left hand onto the hilt.

At the contact of his second hand, a sudden surge of power shot through the blade, the force of the blast throwing Inuyasha back. Sesshomaru growled, his eyes still glowing, his teeth bared, the sword pulsing between his hands.

"Get Kirara and the kids out of here!" Kagome yelled.

Sesshomaru grunted, turning his head sharply to watch as Sango tried to round up three mini demons and Kirara. She stopped as she saw Sesshomaru's scarlet eyes staring at her, her face turning blue with fear. Sesshomaru turned back to Inuyasha, then looked over at Sango once more before snarling and leaping into the air, a swirl of clouds gathering around his feet and carrying him back off in the direction from whence he had come.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha muttered, getting to his feet.

"He-he left?" Sango stammered in disbelief.

"Damn!" Inuyasha cursed, turning to Sango as she supported Kirara at her side. "He left because he couldn't fight me here."

"Couldn't fight you here?" Kagome repeated. "What do you mean, Inuyasha?"

"You saw how powerful his sword is now that he's got two arms again!" Inuyasha explained. "Those blasts were powerful enough to kill us all. If he missed with one blow, he might have killed Kirara."

"Kirara?" Kagome echoed, quirking an eyebrow as she cast a glance at the still weakened fire-cat demon.

"Yeah, he's in love with her, didn't you know?" Inuyasha asked bluntly, returning the Tetsusaiga to its scabbard.

"In love with her?" Miroku repeated, unable to hide his disbelief. "I didn't think your brother was capable of loving anything, Inuyasha. And how could he possibly be in love with Kirara? He doesn't even know her!"

"I dunno," Inuyasha grumbled. "Sesshomaru does a lot of strange things that don't make any sense to me."

"I guess it could be true," Kagome said slowly. "I mean, look at how Sesshomaru reacted when Inuyasha accused him of being in love with Kirara! And he didn't try to stop her when she was touching him or kissing him."

"How did you find this out?" Miroku asked Inuyasha.

"That little worm told me," Inuyasha replied, pointing at Koru.

"Alright…" Miroku said slowly. "And how did you find out?" he asked Koru.

"I followed Kirara when she went away with Jaken," Koru honestly replied.

"I knew there was something else going on there," Miroku said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "And what did Jaken say, Koru?"

"He said Lord Sesshomaru was going to ask Kirara to be his mate again, and Jaken wanted Kirara to say no again," Koru replied.

"Sesshomaru came here to ask Kirara to be his wife?" Kagome yelped.

"Again?" Miroku echoed. "You mean he has asked her before?"

"Yes," Sango replied miserably. "The day we were crossing the border of the Western Lands and Sesshomaru took Kirara away. We thought they were going to fight, but he took her away to ask her to be his mate."

"I don't understand," Miroku confessed. "Sesshomaru despises the weak, and by comparison to his own strength, Kirara is almost as weak as a mortal. Besides, I thought dog demons and cat demons disliked each other. Why would such a proud demon like Sesshomaru want to break so many of his own standards for no apparent good reason?"

"He must really be in love with her!" Kagome gasped. "I never thought Sesshomaru could be so romantic!"

"Don't be stupid, Kagome!" Inuyasha snapped. "Sesshomaru isn't romantic! I have to admit, I didn't honestly think that he had feelings for her until I saw how he reacted just now, and although I still don't understand it, it sure does look like he likes her somehow. But I wouldn't go so far as saying that he's romantic! Besides, he wouldn't ever actually take Kirara as his mate. He's taking the princess, remember?"

"It would make a lot more sense for Sesshomaru to marry a princess," Miroku agreed.

"Demons don't get married, Miroku," Inuyasha corrected him. "They just bond."

"Yes," Miroku said. "Whatever the case may be, Sesshomaru always thinks with his head, not his heart. I believe that, even if he did somehow develop feelings for another, he would still "bond" with the princess."

"Okay, so then why did he come here today?" Kagome asked.

"To kill me? Isn't it obvious?" Inuyasha sneered.

"But he didn't kill you!" Kagome argued back.

"Can we just drop this already?" Inuyasha yelled irritably. "There's no way Sesshomaru would ever seriously want to take Kirara as his mate, so let's just forget about it and concentrate on finding Naraku and the jewel shards, got it?"

"But Sesshomaru does look after that little girl," Kagome began. "And–"

"Spare me!" Inuyasha snapped, turning his back on her.

Kagome growled in irritation, turning her back on Inuyasha too. Miroku sighed, shaking his head at them both before turning to Sango.

"How's Kirara?" he asked.

"I think she'll be alright," Sango replied.

"She was supposed to stay away!" Inuyasha said moodily.

"She doesn't know what she's doing," Sango pointed out.

"I only put that stuff in her food because I thought it would stop her from following me," Inuyasha said. "I didn't think it would make her act that way around Sesshomaru."

"You did this?" Sango echoed.

"Inuyasha, what were you thinking?" Miroku asked.

"I was trying to stop her from following me!" Inuyasha repeated. "And I thought it might be funny if she stayed that way a little longer. I'm tired of listening to her argue and talk to herself all the time."

"Inuyasha!" Sango yelled.

"We've got bigger things to worry about right now," Inuyasha pointed out. "Like finding Naraku, finding jewel shards, and trying to figure out how the hell Sesshomaru got his arm back. He's twice as strong now, and I don't know if the Tetsusaiga is strong enough to defeat him the way he is now."

"It was my doing," Kirara said.

"What?" Inuyasha echoed, turning to face her.

"I asked Priestess Momiji and Priestess Botan to restore Sesshomaru's arm," Kirara confessed. "Because I was indebted to him, and I needed to repay my debt."

"Priestesses Momiji and Botan?" Inuyasha repeated, frowning questioningly.

"The red and the white priestess!" Kagome said.

"Those two?" Inuyasha said. "What the hell did you do that for, Kirara? You've just made him strong enough to kill us all! What the hell were you thinking?"

"But it looks so pretty!" Kirara said, her fangs glistening in the sun as she smiled widely.

Inuyasha growled, but before he could react, Kagome hurried over to his side and Miroku hurried over to Sango and Kirara.

"Probably best if she goes back to sleep until the effects of the catnip have worn off," Miroku said gently.

"Hello," Kirara said, smiling at Miroku.

"Good night," he replied, before smacking her over the head with his staff.

Sango gasped at his action, but Miroku caught Kirara before she hit the ground.

"It's for the best," he assured Sango.

* * *

Sesshomaru landed a little harder than he had intended, his eyes fading back to their usual amber hues as his feet touched the ground. He mechanically slid the Tokijin back through his belt, standing perfectly still as he waited for the surges of adrenaline his demon spirit had sent pumping through his veins to slow.

Just as Sesshomaru was beginning to regain full control of both his demon spirit and his emotions, a demonic aura appeared behind him, lingering there in a way that made his demon spirit begin to stir once more. Spinning around, his claws at the ready, Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes as he sighted the form of a female demon standing in the shadow of a tree.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she greeted him, slowly walking out of her hiding place to approach him. "I've been looking all over for you, I hope you haven't been hiding from me."

Sesshomaru lowered his claws, his demon spirit resting.

"I hide from no-one," he said frankly.

"And that has always been one of your most attractive qualities," she replied, snapping open her fan and lifting it to cover her mouth from his view.

This, Sesshomaru had learned, was a tactic Kagura often used to hide the fact that she was smiling, the fact that something amused her, something about him. Sesshomaru lowered his chin slightly, clapping a hand onto the hilt of his Tokijin.

"Ah-ah-ah," Kagura said, shaking her head at him. "You cannot harm me. You are indebted to me."

Sesshomaru allowed his hand to fall away from his sword. Although he would never admit it, or even allow it to show in his face, Kagura had managed to gain his interest.

"It took a lot of hard work for me to convince those pesky priestesses to restore your arm for you, Lord Sesshomaru," Kagura continued, sauntering closer to him. "And I know that you are a man of honour, and so you will repay your debt to me."

Sesshomaru looked down at his arm, unsure of what to think. He still could not remember exactly how his arm had come back; all he could remember was following an unusual scent out of his own barrier, falling over, and then waking up half a day later with his arm suddenly returned to him. He had no way of knowing if Kagura was indeed telling the truth, but, given her determination to enlist his help to destroy Naraku, it was a possibility he could not rule out.

"You don't remember what happened, do you?" Kagura asked him.

Sesshomaru did not answer, mainly because he refused to admit that he had lost control of his body and lost a whole day without any apparent reason.

"The priestesses lured you out of your barrier and disabled you with the fumes of a fire. They then cast their spell on you to restore your arm, leaving you before you woke up again," Kagura explained. "Very clever, wouldn't you say?"

Sesshomaru moved his fingers ever so slightly, thinking over what Kagura had just said. It seemed to make sense, and in the absence of any other explanation, he had no other choice but to believe her.

"What do you want from me?" he asked, lifting his eyes to her. "Do you wish for me to kill Naraku?"

"I know that you will kill Naraku regardless," Kagura replied. "What I want is for you to take my heart back from Naraku."

"You wish for me to return your heart to you," Sesshomaru said.

"I didn't say that," Kagura replied.

Kagura smirked, lifting her fan to cover her mouth once more.

"All I that want you to do is to take my heart from Naraku," she said slowly.

Sesshomaru continued to stare blankly at Kagura. Even if she had been the one to somehow restore his arm to him, Sesshomaru was still in no mood to play any of her pointless games.

"I am to set you free in return?" he asked after a short silence.

"No, you are to take my heart for yourself," Kagura replied. "You will take my heart from Naraku, and you will take me as your own."

Kagura stepped closer to Sesshomaru, her smirk widening beneath her fan. Despite the fact that he disliked the incarnation before him, Sesshomaru found that he could not really argue with her. He would not be indebted to anyone, least of all Kagura, and, since finding a mate had proved to be a tiresome and unsatisfying task this at least presented him with an easy option.

"I understand," he said with a nod of his head.

"Very well," Kagura said, plucking a feather from her hair. "Until we meet again."

Sesshomaru watched Kagura rise up into the sky and drift out of sight before looking down at his arm again. Although he was glad to have his arm back, and the increase in power he now had was pleasing, Sesshomaru found himself wondering if regaining his arm had been worth the consequences he now faced.

* * *

Kirara slowly opened one eye, peeking around at the others. Once she was certain that they were all asleep, she quietly stood up and began to creep away from the campfire.

"Where are you going?" Inuyasha and Koru asked her in unison.

'Damn their demon senses!' Kirara growled inwardly.

"I need water," Kirara lied, looking back over her shoulder at Inuyasha. "I won't be long."

Inuyasha nodded before closing his eyes again. Kirara quickly moved on before he changed his mind, passing through a clump of trees to the nearby river. She stood by the water's edge for a moment before dropping down onto her knees. She had spent most of the previous evening and most of that day under the influence of the catnip that had somehow appeared in both the campfire and her food; she was not even sure how far she had travelled that day, she was only vaguely aware that Inuyasha had carried her. But the effects had finally worn off as night had drawn in, and her memories of what had transpired had slowly come back to her.

'I was rubbing myself against trees and the ground,' Kirara thought to herself. 'But at least if that was all I had done I would only be embarrassed now.'

Kirara closed her eyes and lowered her head as her mind replayed, with slow, painstaking effort, every detail of what she had done when Sesshomaru had appeared.

'If there was ever any doubt in his mind that I was nothing more than a filthy savage, today will have ensured that his opinion on me has been decided,' she thought miserably. 'I can't believe I behaved that way, what must he think of me? After refusing to be his mate, how could I even think about kissing him? But… It was the catnip. I wasn't thinking clearly. I didn't know what I was doing. I was acting out of my deep-rooted subconscious thoughts.'

Kirara leaned forwards, looking down at the water. With the light of the waning moon reflecting off the surface of the slow-moving water, it created a rather accurate mirror. Kirara sighed as she looked down at her own face, pausing for a moment before watching her eyes grow larger as an idea slowly worked its way up through her mind.

'I was acting out of my deep-rooted subconscious thoughts?' she thought to herself. 'But that means that… Did I know what I was doing? Somewhere deep down inside of me, I must have wanted to kiss him! But then does that mean that…'

Kirara tilted her head slightly, studying her reflection carefully.

'I really must be stupid,' she thought. 'I had a chance to be Lord Sesshomaru's mate, and I turned him down. I can't change my mind now. It's probably for the best. He didn't really know me back then when he made that offer. He knows me now, and he wants me dead. If I had accepted him, he probably would have killed me by now. At least this way I'm still alive.'

Kirara felt a strange sensation building inside of her that felt almost as though something had grabbed her throat and twisted it around. She touched a hand to the point of the discomfort on instinct, attempting to swallow, but finding it suddenly both very difficult and very sore to do.

'What's wrong with me?' Kirara thought silently. 'My duty is to protect and guide those I love. These strange feelings never bothered me before I regained my human form and started talking to Lord Sesshomaru.'

"Then I must be…" Kirara said aloud, frowning down at her reflection.

Kirara let out a shuddered gasp as her eyes became hot and her vision blurred.

"I'm such a fool!" she cried, slapping a hand against the surface of the water.

Kirara sat back onto her legs, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes as she tried to deny the tears that were falling.

"I didn't think I would ever feel this way…" she whispered quietly. "I think I'm–"

Kirara yelped, almost falling into the river as a forceful gust of wind pushed against her forwards. Scrambling to her feet and inwardly cursing herself for not noticing the demonic aura behind her a lot sooner, Kirara turned to find Kagura standing by the edge of the trees, watching her with a smug smirk of satisfaction.

"Hello, Kirara," she greeted her.

"What do you want, witch?" Kirara growled, angrily swiping away a tear that had slid down one side of her face.

"I didn't come at a bad time, did I?" Kagura asked, feigning innocence.

"There's never a good time when it involves you," Kirara spat back.

"My, I see you're still as bad-tempered as ever," Kagura sighed. "Or maybe you're just bitter because you were so helpless against me in battle. You, who calls herself a soldier, finished in a matter of seconds by me."

Kirara tore her sword from its sheath, baring her teeth threateningly at Kagura.

"Put your sword away, I only came here to give you a little surprise," Kagura said slowly.

Kirara slowly closed her lips together, covering her teeth; but she did not lessen her vice-like grip on her sword.

"I'm sure you remember this face," Kagura continued, stepping to one side to reveal the person standing behind her.

"Kohaku!" Kirara gasped.

"That's right," Kagura said, smiling maliciously. "And isn't it your duty to look after Kohaku and his family?"

Kirara slowly lowered her sword, a feeling of dread chilling her body.

"I might be willing to release this boy," Kagura continued when Kirara did not answer her. "I might be willing to save his life and let him return to his sister. But I would need something in return, you understand."

Kirara slowly returned her sword to its sheath, lowering her head slightly. She did not need to hear any more to know what Kagura was implying.

"I have no choice," she said quietly. "I am at your mercy. But you must promise to return Kohaku to Sango, and you will not harm either of them."

Kagura grinned darkly, her deep red lips peeling back over her fangs.

"I'm glad we understand each other," she said.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Inuyasha and the gang wake up to find that Kirara is missing without a trace. As they start their search for her, Kirara finds herself inside Naraku's castle, where Naraku has an offer for her. As the events unfold, Kirara finds them all too sickeningly familiar; could it be that her dream message from Midoriko is finally being realised?


	26. Naraku's Return

**Recap:** Inuyasha tried to use catnip to stop Kirara from confronting Sesshomaru, but his plan failed. Inuyasha discovered that Sesshomaru had gained strength with his regenerated arm, Kagura made a deal with Sesshomaru, Kirara realised that she had feelings for Sesshomaru, and Kagura used Kohaku to blackmail Kirara.

* * *

 **Chapter 26 – Naraku's Return**

Kirara groaned, trying her hardest to push herself up from the floor; but it was too much. The air around her was thick, sickly and barely breathable. Looking across the room, she was amazed to see Kohaku sitting up against the wall as though nothing was wrong. In that instance, Kirara fully appreciated the power contained within the sacred jewel. Kohaku, a mere mortal, was able to withstand the poisonous miasma of Naraku's castle because of the power of the jewel shard embedded in his back.

"K-Kohaku?" she said weakly.

Kohaku, who was sitting with his head turned towards the thin sliding doors at his side, shifted his eyes to Kirara at the sound of her voice. Kirara uttered a small groan of concern as she saw that Kohaku's soft brown eyes had lost their usual sparkle, looking dull and lifeless as they always did when he was fully under Naraku's control.

Deciding that it was in her best interests to leave Kohaku alone – in that state, he was more than likely to attack her, and she was too weak to defend herself – Kirara instead tried to focus on what had happened and how she had gotten to where she now found herself. Thanks to the catnip, the last couple of days were not very clear in her memory, but she was positive that her friends had not yet found any traces of Naraku or the Shikon Jewel, meaning that, unless she could somehow figure out a way to escape, she was trapped in Naraku's castle without any hope of being rescued until Naraku himself decided to make himself known to his enemies.

Concentrating all her efforts on recalling recent events, Kirara managed to remember leaving the campsite to go to the river, where Kagura had confronted her with Kohaku. Kagura had said something about Naraku wishing to make a deal with Kirara in exchange for Kohaku's freedom, and Kirara had agreed to it, allowing Kagura to take both her and Kohaku away on her feather. Kirara could not remember which direction they had left from, but she could remember flying over a forest, a swamp, a long valley, and then up a mountain. About halfway up the side of the mountain, they had penetrated a magenta-coloured barrier, and after that, Kirara's memories were blank.

The overwhelming, noxious gases of Naraku's poisonous miasma were too much for most, but for weaker feline, and more especially weaker canine, demons, with stronger senses than mere mortals and without the strength of a powerful demon, the miasma was enough to render them nothing short of useless. Unless her friends had seen her leave, Kirara knew that she had no hope of them finding her. And, she thought darkly to herself, if they had seen her leave, what would they think of her? To someone watching on, Kirara had willingly climbed onto Kagura's feather and flown off with her to Naraku's castle. Given Inuyasha's distinct lack of trust in anyone bar himself and possibly Kagome, Kirara knew that her half-demon friend would instantly assume the worst, and accuse her of joining forces with Naraku. And, as the quickest of the group, and the one with the keenest senses, Inuyasha was the most likely of all to have seen her depart; he had already been awake when she had left their camp.

Kirara groaned, closing her eyes and pressing her face against the floor in despair. She began to consider allowing herself to fall asleep again, if only in the hope that she might regain some of her power if she rested; but a sudden evil presence by her side sent a rush of adrenaline coursing through her body that gave her enough strength to push herself up onto her hands and knees.

"Kirara," a deep, smooth voice said.

Kirara turned to the source of the voice, frowning in question when she saw nothing more than the semi-transparent sliding doors by her side, which were still firmly closed. But as she watched, a light illuminated the other side of the doors, and through the panels Kirara could see the slightly blurred image of a man sitting facing her wearing a baboon pelt.

"Naraku," she said, shaking her head slightly in disbelief.

Was it the real Naraku, or was it just another demon puppet, she wondered?

"Kirara, first let me congratulate you on your undying devotion to this boy," Naraku continued, the smoothness of his velvety voice sending a small shiver of dread down Kirara's spine. "I'm so impressed with your courage Kirara, I have decided to set you both free."

"What?" Kirara echoed.

Naraku chuckled softly, the shoulders of his fur cloak shuddering slightly from his efforts.

"It's simple," he continued. "You will take this."

Even though the sliding doors were still closed between them, Kirara could make out the pearly-mauve glow of a jewel shard. Naraku held it up between his thumb and forefinger, lifting his head slightly to expose his glowing crimson eyes, which he promptly fixed onto Kirara.

"You will use this shard to give yourself the strength you need to leave here," Naraku said.

Kirara narrowed her eyes, glancing between the jewel shard and Naraku's eyes, which glowed almost as brightly as the Shikon Jewel at her from beneath the shadows of his cape.

"In return for your freedom, I ask for just one small thing," Naraku said slowly. "You will use the strength this jewel shard gives you to kill Inuyasha."

Kirara gasped.

"Never!" she growled.

"You refuse to comply?" Naraku asked. "Then you leave me no choice but to kill the boy."

Kirara gasped again, turning her head to watch as Kohaku, still trapped under Naraku's control, lifted his sickle and turned it towards himself.

"No!" Kirara wailed, reaching a shaking hand weakly towards him.

"No?" Naraku asked. "Quite the indecisive one, aren't we, Kirara?"

"You bastard!" Kirara snarled, rounding on Naraku.

"You had better make up your mind Kirara," Naraku replied, ignoring her insult. "You don't have very long. Either you kill Inuyasha with your own hands, or you will watch the human you swore to protect kill himself."

"You sick, twisted, evil… How could you?"

"Time, Kirara, is running out."

Kirara paused, Naraku's reference to time suddenly having an impact on her.

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked nervously.

"Kanna?" Naraku said.

Kirara turned with a start to find Naraku's small, white-haired incarnation suddenly standing at his side.

"Show Kirara what she missed while she slept today," Naraku purred, his teeth flashing from the shadow of his cape as a malicious smirk graced his features.

Kirara turned to look into the mirror in Kanna's hands, tilting her head in confusion as she saw Kagura standing speaking to Sesshomaru, with Ah-Un, Jaken and Rin in the background. Kirara's confusion deepened as she saw Kagura point at Sesshomaru's swords with her fan, at which he bared his teeth. They continued talking for a moment longer before Sesshomaru suddenly leapt off, leaving his companions behind with Kagura, who watched him leave, grinning widely.

"I-I don't understand…" Kirara said slowly, turning to Naraku for an explanation.

"Well you see Kirara, I did not expect this resistance from you," Naraku began. "I expected you to take this jewel shard and save your human friend."

"And you expected me to kill Inuyasha," Kirara added bitterly. "But I don't understand how any of that involves Lord Sesshomaru."

"Oh dear, the rumours are true then," Naraku said, a hint of sarcasm leaking into his voice. "You really are nothing more than a pitiful fool, Kirara. How disappointing. Mind games are no fun when one's opponent is nothing more than an idiot."

Kirara froze, racking her brains for some sort of clue as to what Naraku was planning, but alas she could find none. She had no idea how the mind of pure evil worked; she had dedicated her life to fighting evil, not understanding it.

"I told Kagura that you would soon be enjoying the extra power of one of the jewel shards," Naraku slowly continued. "And she mentioned something about you wishing to become stronger because of Lord Sesshomaru."

Kirara paled and her blood chilled in her veins. Had Kagura told Sesshomaru that Kirara had made a pact with Naraku in order to gain his respect with the strength she would gain from being in possession of a jewel shard?

"And now it seems that Lord Sesshomaru is under the impression that you seek to use your strength to kill him, steal his swords, and give them, and your jewel shard, to Inuyasha."

"What?"

Kirara almost choked on her shock and had to fight to breathe normally against both her increased heartbeat and the noxious fumes around her. The truth of her predicament was even worse than she had feared.

"Lord Sesshomaru is on his way here to kill you, Kirara," Naraku added, once more grinning at Kirara's horrified expression. "He will be here very soon, so you don't have very long to decide what you are going to do next. I suggest you take the jewel shard. If you don't, not only will you be forced to watch Kohaku kill himself, but you will then face your own death at the hands of Lord Sesshomaru. Take the jewel shard, escape from this place before Lord Sesshomaru gets here, kill Inuyasha and then return both your own shard and the one in Kohaku's back to me. You will live, the boy will live, and I will take care of Lord Sesshomaru for you."

Kirara slowly shook her head.

"No?" Naraku asked. "You don't want the jewel shard? Are you sure? You are willing then to let Kohaku die and to face the wrath of Lord Sesshomaru? He's very disappointed in you, Kirara. He hates that you have made a deal with me."

Naraku motioned towards Kanna's mirror with one hand, and Kirara moved her eyes towards it, gasping at the image she saw reflected there. Although she could not remember the exact location of Naraku's castle, she could quite clearly see that Sesshomaru was running through the valley that she had passed over the night before, his eyes blazing red in his fury.

"He will be here very soon, Kirara," Naraku said, standing up. "I will be letting down my barrier completely when he arrives to let him pass. Once he is inside, it will be too late. Let me make things a little easier for you, Kirara."

Naraku grabbed the door, sliding it back. Kirara growled at him, cursing herself for being too weak to so much as stand in his presence.

"The choice is yours, Kirara," he said, tossing the jewel shard at her. "Make it wisely."

The door slammed shut and the room beyond it fell into darkness once more. Kirara slowly looked down at the jewel shard by her feet, then across the room at Kohaku, who was still holding his sickle above his own heart.

"I don't have any other choice…" she whispered, picking up the jewel shard between her claws.

Kirara slowly lifted the shard up, watching it shake before her face, her hand unable to hold it steady as she considered the full implications of what she was about to do.

* * *

"Kirara!" Sango called.

"Kirara!" Kagome yelled.

"Sango, Kagome, this way!" Miroku called back to them.

"What is it Miroku?" Sango asked, running towards him. "Have you found her?"

"Not exactly," Inuyasha replied as the other joined him by the banks of the river. "Look at this."

Sango gasped, covering her mouth with one hand.

"Kirara's sword!" Kagome said, frowning at the sight of the sheathed sword lying across Inuyasha's upturned hands. "But why would she leave it behind? Surely she's not still ill from the catnip?"

"No," Inuyasha said darkly. "I can smell Naraku around here."

"Naraku?" Sango echoed.

"Yeah," Inuyasha quietly replied. "Unfortunately, the scent starts over there," Inuyasha pointed to the edge of the trees. "And it ends here, by the water's edge."

"Do you think Naraku kidnapped Kirara?" Miroku asked.

"I don't know," Inuyasha replied. "But whatever happened, they must have flown off for the scent to disappear like that. I'm not even sure if it is Naraku. It smells more like Kagura."

"Kagura?" Kagome echoed. "Well that would make sense, she flies on that feather she has. Do you think she might have kidnapped Kirara?"

"But why?" Miroku asked.

"We have to go after her," Sango said urgently. "Kagura has Kohaku with her too!"

Miroku put a reassuring arm around Sango's shoulders as tears began to form in her eyes.

"But how can we even begin to follow them without any trace of which direction they went?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome gasped, causing the others to turn to her.

"I can sense some jewel shards!" she said.

"Are you sure, Kagome?" Sango asked.

"Yes, definitely!" Kagome said.

Inuyasha sniffed at the air, his face darkening.

"And I can smell wolf," he groaned.

A second later a whirlwind swept up to them, dissolving to reveal Koga.

"What are you standing around here for, you mangy mutt!" Koga said, eying Inuyasha over in disgust.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply, but a second whirlwind swept past him, cutting him off. As the wind died down, Ayame appeared at Koga's side, smiling up at him.

"Oh!" she said, her smile fading as she looked around the others. "Where is Kirara?"

"We think she may have been kidnapped by Kagura," Miroku explained.

"So then why are you still standing around here?" Koga asked again. "Come on, we can't get through Naraku's barrier without you dog-boy, so come on!"

"Naraku's barrier?" Inuyasha repeated.

"Can't you smell it?" Koga snapped.

"Um…" Inuyasha began nervously.

"Inuyasha's senses have weakened, tonight is the night of the new moon," Miroku pointed out.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha muttered.

"Then we have to hurry!" Kagome said. "Inuyasha can't use the Tetsusaiga when he's human! He won't be able to break Naraku's barrier!"

"Inuyasha, you go ahead with Koga and Ayame," Miroku said. "You can move faster if you don't wait for us. We will follow as fast as we can, we might manage to find Hachi and catch up with you, but until then, you must hurry."

"Right," Inuyasha said, nodding his head.

Inuyasha passed Kirara's sword to Sango, who looked down at it, her face twisting through a series of muddled emotions.

"She'll be fine," Miroku assured her, touching a hand to her shoulder. "Don't worry, Sango."

"Let's go," Inuyasha said, running off.

Koga and Ayame took off after him, all three running straight past Ginta, Hakkaku and the wolves, who had only just caught up.

"Hi Kagome!" Ginta called.

"Bye Kagome!" Hakkaku called.

"Hey Koga, wait up!" Ginta yelled.

Kagome watched the wolf demons and their wolves hurry off after the others, before turning back to Sango and Miroku.

"Come on, we should get going," she said gently. "I'll go tell the kids to stay here, where it's safe."

Miroku nodded, hugging Sango a little tighter.

"Don't worry Sango," he whispered into her hair. "This time Naraku won't get away, and he won't hurt anyone else."

* * *

"Kohaku, no!" Kirara wailed, grabbing onto his sickle and pushing it back.

Kirara was certain that Naraku was nearby somewhere, watching the whole scene in amusement. Kirara could not even remember how, but she had somehow managed to escape from the building Naraku had been holding her and Kohaku in; but no sooner had she reached the courtyard outside than Kohaku had begun trying to kill himself again. She had spent what felt like hours trying to stop him, and although he had not caused himself any harm yet, he would not stop trying.

Deep down inside, Kirara knew that she was fighting a losing battle. Kohaku was already dead. As soon as the jewel shard was removed from his back, he would die. By stopping him from killing himself, she was, in a way, only delaying the inevitable; but Sango believed that Kohaku could be saved, and for that reason alone if nothing else, Kirara knew that she had to keep trying.

"Please, Kohaku!" she begged.

To Kirara's utter amazement, Kohaku relaxed, almost releasing his sickle altogether. Kirara frowned at him in confusion, but found that his eyes were looking at something over her shoulder. Turning around, Kirara mewed in alarm at what she saw.

Standing halfway across the courtyard was Sesshomaru, his eyes red, the Tokijin hanging from his right hand.

Kirara stiffened, glancing at Kohaku, who stood perfectly still at her side. It almost seemed as though Kohaku had accepted that he no longer needed to try to kill himself, because Sesshomaru would soon take his life anyway.

"Step aside," Sesshomaru said, his voice a little gruffer than usual.

"No," Kirara said. "Please, you can't hurt Kohaku!"

Kirara started to slowly walk towards Sesshomaru, hoping to distract him from Kohaku.

"You're in my way," Sesshomaru said plainly, tightening his fist around the hilt of his Tokijin.

Kirara opened her mouth to try once more to reason with Sesshomaru, but all that came out was a sharp, grunting sigh of air as she felt Kohaku's sickle thud into her left shoulder. Kirara slowly turned her head to look at the weapon embedded in her skin, Kohaku's shot having successfully hit the area of bare skin between the armour on her shoulders and the armour around her torso. Kirara moved her eyes back to Sesshomaru, holding his gaze for a second before screaming out in pain and shock as Kohaku yanked at the chain of his sickle, tugging her shoulder back.

Kirara staggered backwards until the sickle dislodged itself from her flesh, at which point she swayed around a little, before collapsing onto her back. Kirara groaned as she landed hard on her back, the unforgiving ground thumping against the wound she had been left with from Kohaku's attack. In an attempt to alleviate the pain, Kirara turned onto her side, touching a hand to the wound, wincing as she felt the sickening, warm and sticky sensation of her own blood against her fingertips.

Kirara looked up in time to see Sesshomaru charge past her, frowning questioningly as he ran to the other side of the courtyard and swung his sword at the building that stood there, cutting down the door and disappearing inside.

"Where is he going…?" she muttered.

Kirara pushed herself up onto all fours, her attention once more distracted as the swirling purple gases around her faded and began to disperse. Naraku's barrier had been broken.

"Inu-Inuyasha!" she said weakly, managing a smile as she saw Inuyasha running towards her.

He hurriedly returned his red Tetsusaiga to its sheath, dropping to his knees by her side.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Kirara lied. "Kohaku… Where's Kohaku?"

"He ran away when he saw me coming," Inuyasha replied. "Where's Sesshomaru? I know he's here somewhere, I could smell him all the way here!"

"Oh no you don't!" Koga yelled, swinging a kick at Sesshomaru as he exited the building he had been inside.

"It's a trap," Kirara said, shaking her head. "You mustn't attack Lord Sesshomaru. Stop him, Inuyasha!"

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked. "Don't you know that Sesshomaru has joined forces with Naraku?"

"What?" Kirara echoed.

"Yeah, Koga told me on my way here," Inuyasha explained. "Sesshomaru only came here to get Kagura. Apparently they've been planning this for a long time. Koga still has a score to settle with Kagura after she killed so many of his tribe, so now he's after Sesshomaru too."

"Inuyasha, no…" Kirara began, trying to push herself up using just one arm, as her other arm had gone numb from the wound in her shoulder.

"Stay down and stay out of the way!" Inuyasha warned her. "The others will be here soon, they'll get you out of here. Any idea where Naraku is?"

"No," Kirara replied, shaking her head. "But you have to go after Kohaku."

"Why?"

"Naraku has ordered him to kill himself. Please Inuyasha, you must do what you can to save Kohaku. Please!"

"Alright already!"

Inuyasha got to his feet again, taking hold of the hilt of the Tetsusaiga.

"But first I've gotta take care of Naraku, I don't have long," Inuyasha said, drawing out his sword.

Kirara's eyes widened as Inuyasha held out his sword, the blade appearing as nothing more then a rusted, pitted worn old blade.

"Damn, the Tetsusaiga won't transform any more!" Inuyasha muttered.

"What?" Kirara echoed, turning to look at the sky beyond the castle walls. "This isn't the night of the new moon, is it? Oh please no!"

Kirara turned back to Inuyasha, mewing as she saw a human standing in his place.

"Damn," he growled, re-sheathing his Tetsusaiga. "Too late."

"Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha and Kirara turned their heads upwards to see Hachi floating towards them, carrying Miroku, Sango and Kagome. As Inuyasha moved over to greet them, fighting off their concerns about his mortal body, Kirara turned her attention back to Sesshomaru, who was fighting off Koga, Ayame, Ginta, Hakkaku and a pack of wolves. She briefly wondered why he was choosing to still just hold the Tokijin in one hand, after having realised that he could double its power holding it in both hands; but then Kirara saw the reason why he was not using his left hand.

In Sesshomaru's left hand, he held Kagura's heart.

"Look out!" Miroku yelled.

Kirara turned her head back to the others, gasping as a giant demon burst out of one of the buildings across the courtyard. A giant body of tendrils, crablike claws and pincers topped with a human torso, Kirara knew instantly even without inhaling the scent or concentrating on the aura that it was Naraku himself, in his truest form.

'He looks just like he did in my dream,' she thought to herself. 'Could this be the beginning of what Midoriko foretold?'

Looking around herself, Kirara saw Kagome aiming an arrow at Naraku, Sango readying her Hiraikotsu, Miroku clutching his staff and Inuyasha preparing to fight with his bare fists in his mortal body, all four poised and ready to attack Naraku. At the other corner of the courtyard, Sesshomaru was still fighting off the wolf demons, and across from him, Kagura was lurking in the shadows with Kohaku.

'I can't possibly see how this will end well for any of us,' Kirara thought miserably. 'I can only hope that Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha and Kagome somehow manage to escape. It's too late for Kohaku, and Lord Sesshomaru has chosen to join forces with Kagura.'

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** The battle against Naraku goes a little awry as Naraku rebuilds his barrier: with Sango, Miroku and Kagome on the other side of it. Trapped alone in a duel to the death with Naraku, Inuyasha chooses to use a jewel shard to break free from his mortal form, but soon finds himself warring against more than just Naraku. **Chapter 27 – Inuyasha's Battle**.


	27. Inuyasha's Battle

**Recap:** Naraku took Kirara prisoner and tried to blackmail her into killing Inuyasha. She refused, but found herself fighting to save Kohaku. Sesshomaru arrived at Naraku's castle to retrieve Kagura's heart and Inuyasha and the others arrived to fight Naraku, but not long after breaking the barrier, the sun set and Inuyasha transformed into his human form, rendering the Tetsusaiga useless.

* * *

 **Chapter 27 – Inuyasha's Battle**

"Inuyasha, you fool," Naraku laughed. "You think you can take me on in that pathetic mortal body of yours?"

"Try me!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Gladly," Naraku replied, whipping out a tendril towards Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled.

Kagome quickly shot an arrow through the tendril, which burst open at the contact; but another swiftly followed it. Sango threw her Hiraikotsu, chopping off several tendrils in her wake. Miroku began hitting back any tendrils he could with his staff, and for a brief moment, it seemed as though they would manage to fend off Naraku's attacks.

But, from a darkened corner of the courtyard, Kagura opened out her fan, swinging her arm down and creating a powerful gust of wind that swept around the entire castle. Kirara clung onto the balcony of a nearby building, watching on as the wind blasted Koga, Ayame, Ginta, Hakkaku and the wolves over one wall of the castle and Sango, Miroku and Kagome over the other. The only ones spared were Kirara and Kohaku, who were sheltered from the worst of the blast by their close proximity to the buildings that framed the courtyard, Sesshomaru, who Kagura appeared to have intentionally missed, and Inuyasha, who Naraku had managed to grab up in one of his tendrils.

As the winds died down again, Kirara stood, finding that, in the prolonged absence of Naraku's barrier, and with the gust of wind Kagura had just created having circulated fresh air into the castle grounds, the miasma seemed to have dissipated enough to allow her to regain some of her strength. She looked out in the direction Sango, Miroku and Kagome had been thrown, starting to walk towards them. However, Kirara had only taken a few steps when a sudden purple glow arced over the courtyard.

'Naraku put his barrier back up!' Kirara thought, gasping in alarm.

"Now Inuyasha, where were we?" Naraku said, turning back to Inuyasha, who was struggling desperately against the grip of Naraku's tendril.

"Enough," Sesshomaru growled, leaping forwards and slashing the Tokijin through the tendril that held Inuyasha.

Inuyasha grunted as he fell to the ground, hurriedly kicking the still writhing appendage from his body and scrambling to his feet.

"Lord Sesshomaru," Naraku said, smiling down at him. "You amaze me. I never knew that you cared for your younger brother."

"I don't," Sesshomaru darkly replied. "But I will not allow you to be the one who takes his life. That privilege has been reserved for me alone."

"Stay out of this, jackass!" Inuyasha snapped, moving to stand alongside Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru eyed Inuyasha over from the corner of his eye, before making a small grunting noise of disgust.

"And what do you propose to do in that body, little brother?" he asked.

"Kill Naraku, and then kill you!" Inuyasha stubbornly replied.

"You are not fit to kill anything," Sesshomaru shot back. "Without the Tetsusaiga and without what little demon powers you do possess, you are nothing."

"Keep talking like that, and I'll cut your arm off again, you stupid jackass!" Inuyasha growled.

"Have you no dignity? Know your place, half-breed!"

"I've got more dignity than you! What were you thinking coming here anyway?"

"I came here for the same reason as you did. To kill Naraku."

"Not true, you liar! I know all about your little agreement with Naraku."

"My agreement with Naraku? You are the one who made an agreement with him, using the fire-cat as a decoy."

"What are you talking about now?"

"I was warned that the fire-cat had a jewel shard and was coming to take the Tenseiga and the Tokijin from me. A foolish manoeuvre that could only have been planned by an idiot like you. Even with the additional power afforded to her by a jewel shard, the fire-cat would still not have been able to handle the Tokijin."

"What the hell are you talking about? Kirara was kidnapped by Kagura! And you came here to save Kagura, you've got her heart in your hand, you lousy bastard!"

"Don't call me that. Show some respect, you filthy, half-blooded simpleton!"

"At least I'm not a jackass like you!"

"Enough!" Naraku yelled, shooting out two tendrils towards the two bickering brothers.

Sesshomaru calmly turned the Tokijin towards the tendril heading his way, obliterating it before it came anywhere near him. Inuyasha however was hit by the other tendril and thrown across the courtyard, landing near Kirara.

"Damn," he groaned, starting to get up again.

"Inuyasha, wait!" Kirara stopped him.

"Damn it, what are you doing here Kirara?" Inuyasha snapped at her.

"It's nice to see you too, Inuyasha," Kirara dryly replied.

"I can't even get close to Naraku, I need the Tetsusaiga, but I can't use it until after sunrise! There's no way I can delay him for that length of time, either!"

"Inuyasha, didn't you once say that Lord Sesshomaru was able to use the Tetsusaiga with the help of a jewel shard?"

"He needed the jewel shard to attach a human arm to his body. He needed to human arm to be able to touch the Tetsusaiga… Wait a minute, you're not about to tell me I should give the Tetsusaiga to that jackass, are you?"

"No. I was going to suggest that you use a jewel shard in your arm to make the Tetsusaiga transform again."

"Great idea, Kirara."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, groaning in despair.

"Just two small problems," he continued, his tone even more sarcastic than ever. "First of all, the power of the jewel alone won't make the Tetsusaiga transform, only my demon spirit can do that. Second of all, I don't exactly have any jewel shards. Koga's got two, Kagome's got three, Kohaku's got one and Naraku has the rest. Koga and Kagome are on the other side of the barrier, Kohaku needs his shard to stay alive, and somehow, I don't think Naraku wants to lend me one of his."

Kirara watched Inuyasha for a moment, her expression thinned in her despair at his excessive cynicism. When Inuyasha failed to respond to her exasperated look, Kirara slid her fingers down the front of her armour, causing Inuyasha's face to twist then turn red.

"Here," she said, pulling out the shard Naraku had given her. "You can use this."

"Where the hell did you get that from?" Inuyasha asked.

He paused as he thought about what he had just said, and then he turned redder still.

"Um…" he began nervously.

"But you say this shard won't be any help to you?" Kirara asked, in an attempt to ease Inuyasha's awkwardness.

"No," he said, his face slowly paling over. "Not unless I used it to return my demon powers."

"But…" Kirara began, frowning down at the shard between her fingers. "If you become a full demon, you won't be able to use the Tetsusaiga, will you?"

"I-I don't know," Inuyasha replied thoughtfully. "Other full demons can't even touch my sword, but the Tetsusaiga was made for me, so maybe I would."

"It's probably too dangerous," Kirara said slowly, lowering her hand. "After all, if you use the jewel shard to become a demon, you will taint it with the darkness of evil."

"Doesn't the jewel only become tainted if it's used for selfish gain?"

"I don't know."

"Damn it Kirara, I thought the woman who trained you was the same woman who created the damn jewel!"

"The jewel was created when Priestess Midoriko died! It's not like she told me it would happen! She didn't exactly say to me "hey Kirara, I'm nurturing a jewel inside my chest, one that will have the power to make the good purer and the bad more powerful. Gee, I hope I don't die before it's done!" I don't know how it works, do I?"

"What the hell is your problem?"

"Inuyasha, we don't have time to stand here and argue like this! Do you want this jewel shard or not?"

Kirara held her hand up between them again and Inuyasha plucked the jewel fragment from between her fingers. He slowly turned it over, frowning down at it, deep in thought.

"It's funny, I always wanted the jewel to become a full-blooded demon," Inuyasha mused as he eyed the gem over. "But that all changed after I met Kikyo. I wanted the jewel to become human, to be with her. And then she pinned me to the tree. When the spell was broken, I wanted to be a demon again, but now I don't know what I want to do. If we defeat Naraku today and complete the jewel, what will I do? What will Kagome do? What will become of us? All of us?"

Inuyasha lifted his deep brown eyes to Kirara, who merely shook her head.

"I don't know, Inuyasha," she said honestly. "But the most important thing right now is that we do defeat Naraku and we do complete the Shikon Jewel."

Inuyasha slowly nodded.

"I'm not gonna do it," he said, closing his fist around the jewel shard. "I'll fight Naraku as I am. This is as good a chance as any for me to test my strength as a mortal."

Kirara began to smile at Inuyasha, feeling proud of his mature and strong decision; but her smile quickly vanished as one of Naraku's tendrils shot forwards, whipping Inuyasha's legs out from under him. Kirara staggered back out of harm's way, turning to Naraku. She expected to find him in a heated confrontation with Sesshomaru, but the dog demon had disappeared.

"What?" she muttered, looking desperately around the courtyard for any signs of Sesshomaru.

Just as Kirara began to fear the worst, that Naraku had somehow managed to absorb Sesshomaru, she finally felt a slight twinge in the air. Naraku's demonic aura was so strong and multi-layered, it was difficult to locate any other demon spirits present, but Kirara felt the distinct aura of Sesshomaru in the corner opposite Naraku. Turning to look, Kirara gasped at what she saw, so overcome with shock, she failed to notice two more of Naraku's tendrils slithering towards her and Inuyasha.

In the back corner of the courtyard, under the shade of a veranda, Sesshomaru was standing with Kagura, holding onto her heart.

'What are they doing?' Kirara wondered.

"Kirara, look out!" Inuyasha yelled, leaping out of harm's way as a tendril slid at his feet.

Kirara mewed in alarm, barely managing to stumble out of harm's way. Inuyasha frowned at her in question as he saw her distracted expression, eventually turning his head to look over his shoulder in the direction she appeared to be staring, his curiosity having won over his common sense.

"What the hell is Naraku doing?" he muttered.

"Naraku?" Kirara echoed, moving her eyes from Sesshomaru at last.

"He's opened a part of his barrier and let Koga and his wolves back in!" Inuyasha pointed out. "What the hell is he thinking?"

Kirara tilted her head in confusion as she watched a hole in the barrier close over, sealing Koga, Ayame, Ginta, Hakkaku and the wolves inside. Koga instantly turned on Kagura, and, to Kirara's dismay, Sesshomaru instantly leapt to her defence. Kirara felt that odd sinking feeling in her stomach again, and even though she was vaguely aware of something approaching her, she did nothing to evade it.

"Kirara!" Inuyasha yelled, reaching out a hand as she was whipped into the air by one of Naraku's tendrils.

Kirara groaned as the thick, slimy appendage tightened around her, fresh blood pumping out of the wound in her shoulder. Kirara quickly found she could no longer keep her eyes open, and what followed seemed illogical, as though she was drifting in and out of consciousness, and only witnessing snippets of the events unfolding.

Kirara saw Sesshomaru suddenly ensnared in a series of Naraku's tendrils, most of his body covered. She saw Koga holding up Kagura's heart as though it were a trophy of his victory. She saw Inuyasha on his knees, his hands grasping onto his hair as though he was in immense pain; but his hair was silver once more. Kirara toyed with the idea that the night had ended already, but then, even in her weakened state, she felt the chilling demonic aura of Inuyasha in his pure demon form.

In his rage, Inuyasha tore through Naraku's tendrils with his elongated claws, freeing both Kirara and Sesshomaru. As Kirara fell hard to the ground, she wondered if Inuyasha had intended to free the brother he hated so much; but then as she caught the wild, rabid look in Inuyasha's scarlet eyes she realised that Inuyasha had probably not even intended to save her.

"You think you're strong enough to fight me now, Inuyasha?" Naraku asked, letting out a hollow, condescending laugh.

Kirara turned to look up at Naraku's face far above her, feeling a little more optimistic as Koga leapt up to kick at Naraku. As the rest of the wolf demons and their wolves surrounded Naraku, Kirara again wondered where Sesshomaru was. Turning back to the point where she had found him last, her eyes doubled in size as she saw him swipe the Tenseiga over Kagura, reviving her from death.

'It's true!' she thought to herself in alarm. 'Sesshomaru really has joined forces with Naraku! He only came here to save Kagura! The only reason he attacked Naraku earlier was to stop him from killing Inuyasha, because Sesshomaru wants to be the one to take Inuyasha's life himself!'

"Hiraikotsu!"

Kirara turned sharply around, shocked to find Sango, Miroku and Kagome once more inside the barrier. Naraku deflected Sango's weapon, but the distraction it had caused him meant that he failed to see Koga leaping from the roof, aiming a kick at his head. Inuyasha leapt up directly in front of Naraku, and Naraku finally seemed to notice that the two were heading straight for him. But, much to Kirara's amazement, Naraku grinned at what he saw.

An instant later, Kirara saw exactly why Naraku looked so happy.

Inuyasha swiped his claws at Koga's legs, tearing the jewel shards from him.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled.

"Inuyasha's changed, how can that be?" Miroku said.

"Shouldn't he be in his mortal form right now?" Sango asked. "How can he possibly be a full demon?"

"He must have…" Kagome began.

"Used a shard of the sacred jewel," Miroku finished for her.

"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome wailed.

Inuyasha ignored her, swallowing down the two jewel fragments he had just recovered from Koga's body.

"You're still not strong enough to defeat me, Inuyasha!" Naraku laughed.

Inuyasha turned towards Kagome, his face looking even wilder than ever. Kagome yelped in fear, clutching her hand around the small jar that held the three jewel shards she still had.

"Get out of here Kagome!" Sango warned her. "Inuyasha might come for those too!"

"No!" Kagome argued defiantly. "I won't leave Inuyasha!"

Kagome began to run towards Inuyasha, causing Sango and Miroku to leap into action, fighting off Naraku's tendrils as he reached for Kagome.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, tears blurring her vision as she ran towards him.

Kirara pushed herself to her feet, deciding that she should transform and attack Naraku's head to distract him. She knew that she was still weak from her injury and the earlier exposure to Naraku's miasma, but if she could stop Naraku from attacking her friends for long enough to allow them to recover and fight back, then her efforts would not be wasted.

"Stay away from me!" Inuyasha snarled, leaping back as Kagome reached her arms out towards his shoulders.

Kagome stumbled as she closed her arms around the space where Inuyasha had been standing only moments ago. Before she could even fully realise what had happened, Naraku wound a tendril around her. Sango and Miroku hastened their efforts in an attempt to reach her and set her free. Deciding that between them, Sango and Miroku would manage to rescue Kagome, Kirara turned her attention back to Inuyasha.

Her heart stopped as she saw him stalking towards Kohaku.

"No!" she cried, running across the courtyard after him.

As she ran, Kirara saw Kohaku back through a door, disappearing into the castle and out of her sight. Inuyasha followed without hesitation, punching a hole in the wall by the door in his haste to follow Kohaku and his jewel shard. Kirara began to run harder, leaping through the door and staggering in front of Kohaku, spreading her arms out at her sides to stop Inuyasha from attacking her human friend.

"No, Inuyasha!" she said firmly. "I can't let you harm Kohaku!"

"Gimme the jewel shard," Inuyasha snarled, cracking his knuckles threateningly.

"I can't do that," Kirara desperately replied. "Kohaku will die if I remove the shard from his body. And besides, you already have three shards inside your body. You don't need any more to defeat Naraku. And once the sun comes up, you can remove the shards and use the Tetsusaiga to defeat Naraku."

Inuyasha looked down at his hand for a moment, apparently thinking this through. Kirara sighed in relief, a small smile appearing on her face as she dropped her arms to her sides once more.

"Oh Inuyasha!" she sighed. "Your soul is so strong, you overcame your own demon blood and the power of three jewel shards."

Inuyasha lifted his eyes to Kirara, staring blankly at her for a moment before roaring a feral snarl and swinging one hand around, his claws tearing into her mid-section. Kirara began to fall back from the blow, choking out a strained breath that forced blood from her throat. She landed on her back the room spinning around her as she felt the warmth of her own blood seeping down her sides. She could hear her heartbeat thumping inside her ears, almost as though its only purpose was as a pump to force blood from her wound.

Watching weakly on, Kirara saw Inuyasha shove Kohaku to the ground and rip open a gash in his back, pulling out the jewel shard that sustained his life. Tears of despair pooled in her eyes as she saw the life drain from Kohaku, and Inuyasha grin at the bloodied shard he had just acquired.

'How can this be happening?' she thought helplessly.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** The fight against Naraku continues, and Inuyasha's fight against himself intensifies. Just when Kirara begins to give up hope for herself and Kohaku, something very unexpected happens to change the course of events. **Chapter 28 – Kohaku's Fate**.


	28. Kohaku's Fate

**Recap:** Inuyasha used the jewel shard to become a full-blooded demon, Koga and the wolves managed to pass through Naraku's barrier as did Sango, Miroku and Kagome. Koga killed Kagura, Inuyasha became over-powered by the jewel shard, and attacked Koga to take his shards from him. Sesshomaru revived Kagura with the Tenseiga and Inuyasha attacked Kirara to get to Kohaku, who he downed in order to steal his jewel shard… Quite a lot of action for such a short chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 28 – Kohaku's Fate**

Watching weakly on, Kirara saw Inuyasha shove Kohaku to the ground and rip open a gash in his back, pulling out the jewel shard. Tears of despair pooled in her eyes as she saw the life drain from Kohaku, and Inuyasha grin at the bloodied shard he had just acquired.

'How can this be happening?' she thought helplessly.

Kirara's eyelids became suddenly extremely heavy, and fluttered closed. A second later, her demon spirit stirred, refusing to allow her to give in to her wounds, and warning her of impending danger. Opening her eyes again, Kirara gasped in shock as Sesshomaru leapt into the room, backhanding Inuyasha. Inuyasha, who had been preoccupied staring at the jewel shard he had just acquired, fell back from the blow. In almost the same instance that his left hand collided with Inuyasha's head, Sesshomaru swung his right hand around at where Kohaku lay.

Kirara blinked several times in disbelief, a rush of emotions bubbling in her chest as she saw Kohaku stirring as though waking from a deep sleep.

'He used the Tenseiga to revive Kohaku!' she thought.

As Sesshomaru returned the sword to its sheath, Inuyasha leapt at him, swiping a hand at his face. Sesshomaru stepped back, leaning his head out of harm's way. Inuyasha's claws missed their intended target, but did manage to tear the right sleeve of his brother's haori.

"Fool," Sesshomaru snarled, drawing out the Tokijin.

Kirara mouthed out the word "no", her voice failing to put any volume to her conviction. Surely after saving Kohaku, Sesshomaru was not about to kill Inuyasha? Kirara remembered Sesshomaru once saying that he would not kill Inuyasha in his demon form, as Inuyasha did not know himself when like that, and therefore there was no point in killing him. She sincerely hoped that Sesshomaru's feelings had not changed as he lunged towards his younger brother.

Sesshomaru pointed the tip of his sword at Inuyasha, throwing him back under a barrage of energy pulses that shot out of the blade. As Inuyasha fell back, the jewel shard he had taken from Kohaku fell through his fingers, descending towards the ground. Kirara kept her eyes fixed on it, telling herself that she would retrieve it once it landed on the floor; but before it could get that far, a clawed hand closed around the shard, pulling it away.

Kirara frowned, squinting through her blurring vision as she watched Sesshomaru tuck the shard into the folds of his haori.

Inuyasha snarled, flying at Sesshomaru again. Kirara choked on her own breath as Sesshomaru brought his arm up through the air, tearing his claws into Inuyasha's chest. Although Kirara had witnessed Inuyasha receive and survive such serious wounds many times before, she knew that this time Inuyasha had been mortally wounded. Sesshomaru twisted his hand around inside of Inuyasha's chest, making Kirara think that perhaps he was trying to remove Inuyasha's heart.

'How could I have been so wrong about Lord Sesshomaru?' she thought miserably to herself as she watch on helplessly. 'Again? Priestess Midoriko was right, I still have so much to learn.'

Sesshomaru eventually removed his hand, allowing Inuyasha to fall to the ground. Kirara strained to look over at him, a wave of nausea washing over her as she saw Inuyasha lying deathly still, his hair returned to the rich ebony colour of his mortal form. Shifting her eyes upwards, Kirara watched as Sesshomaru opened out his fist, revealing the three jewel shards Inuyasha had swallowed.

'Why does he want the jewel shards?' Kirara wondered silently. 'He never wanted them before. Unless – he must be taking them for Kagura!'

"You wretched, conniving bastard!" she growled, her voice hoarse but loud.

Sesshomaru shifted his eyes to hers, holding her gaze for a moment as he reached his hand inside his haori, pulling out Kohaku's shard. Kirara's confusion grew tenfold as Sesshomaru closed his fist around all four shards, turning his back on her and bending down, opening his fist out again to place the shards by Inuyasha's side. Sickened and confused by what she saw but too enthralled to look away, Kirara watched dumbly on as Sesshomaru drew out the Tenseiga one more time; and, much to her relief, he swung it over Inuyasha's body.

Inuyasha groaned softly, his hands quivering and clenching into fists at his sides.

"Inuyasha, you have done well."

Kirara froze, unsure if the delirium of her pain had made her mishear what Sesshomaru had just said.

"What, huh?" Inuyasha moaned groggily, lifting his head and rolling his deep, dark eyes upwards to look at Sesshomaru. "Damn…" he groaned as he locked eyes with his older brother.

"I saw what happened here," Sesshomaru said, his voice as flat and emotionless as ever, leaving Kirara in perpetual confusion as to just where he was going with his speech. "The strength you have shown today far surpassed anything I ever thought you capable of, little brother."

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha groaned, pushing himself up onto his elbows.

"You used the jewel shards to gain strength," Sesshomaru explained, his voice still flat. "And although you lost control and attacked the wolf demon, you were able to overcome the power of both your demon blood and the jewel shards. Personally, I am rather pleased that you chose the wolf to attack. He has now been made to suffer for the pain he has caused to one I am close to."

Kirara paused, thinking Sesshomaru's words over carefully. She eventually concluded that Sesshomaru disliked Koga because he had killed Kagura.

"I attacked a wolf?" Inuyasha asked, sitting up. "Was it Koga?"

"I don't care for his name," Sesshomaru replied, his tone marginally more abrupt than before.

"What happened in here?" Inuyasha asked, frowning as his eyes fell on Kohaku, who was sitting huddled in the back corner of the room. "Kohaku…"

"You saved the boy's life," Sesshomaru said smoothly. "Do you not remember?"

Inuyasha frowned, moving his eyes back to Sesshomaru.

"I did?" he asked.

"Yes, you did," Sesshomaru calmly replied. "You removed the shard of the jewel from his back in a way that allowed him to live. Then you removed the shards from your own body, and you passed out."

"I did?" Inuyasha echoed, looking down at the bloody mark on the front of his haori.

"There is a way out of here," Sesshomaru continued, ignoring Inuyasha's continual questions. "You should take the boy and go."

"What about Kagome?" Inuyasha asked sharply, looking up at his brother again. "Where's Kagome?"

Inuyasha stood abruptly, but Sesshomaru held up one hand to halt his advance.

"Take the boy outside of this place," Sesshomaru said. "By the time you have taken him to a safe place and returned to here, the sun will have risen, and you will able to destroy the barrier once more, and use the Tetsusaiga to destroy Naraku."

"What are you gonna do?" Inuyasha asked, his question coming out as more of a challenge than one of interest.

"I am going to tend to your friend, her wounds are severe."

"My friend? Who…"

Inuyasha turned his head to Kirara, his eyes widening as he looked upon her for the first time since awakening.

"Kirara!" he yelped.

"Go," Sesshomaru said firmly. "Return after sunrise."

"I can't leave my friends."

"You will."

"I can't."

Sesshomaru slowly and methodically drew out the Tokijin, allowing it to hang limply from his hand.

"Fine," Inuyasha grunted. "Kohaku, come with me."

Kohaku reluctantly crept across the room, shirking past Sesshomaru to join Inuyasha.

"You better not let anything happen to Kagome!" Inuyasha warned his brother.

"Which one is Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, muttering a complaint under his breath before grabbing Kohaku by the arm and dragging him out of the room. Sesshomaru slid the Tokijin back through his belt before turning his head towards Kirara. As the dog demon lord locked his rich amber eyes onto hers, Kirara let out a small gasp, trying to shuffle backwards away from him. After all she had witnessed that night, she no longer knew what to think of him; but she could clearly remember having miscalled him when he had downed Inuyasha to retrieve the jewel shards.

"Don't move," he said firmly, squatting down and grabbing onto her thigh.

Kirara gasped again, looking down at his fingers gripping onto her, her muscles tensing against his grasp on instinct. A feeling of embarrassment and awkwardness slowly began to creep through Kirara as she continued to stare at Sesshomaru's hand; but her feelings quickly snapped back to shock as he grabbed his other hand down the front of her armour.

"What are you doing?" she cried helplessly, her hands clawing at his arm on instinct.

Kirara yelped as her armour snapped open under the force of his grip, falling back slightly as the strain of pulling away from his grip was suddenly removed. Kirara stared in silent horror at her armour as Sesshomaru threw it down to one side, before looking down at herself, yelping in alarm as she found her upper body was covered by nothing more than flimsy, torn and bloodied undergarments.

Kirara lifted her head to look at Sesshomaru's face, stiffening in fear as he curled his fingers around her throat. Confused, afraid and in more pain than she dared to show, Kirara allowed Sesshomaru to push her back until she was lying flat on her back. He kept his hand on her throat, his grip by no means tight, but firm enough to stop her from moving her head. Kirara lay perfectly still, too scared to so much as blink. She felt Sesshomaru release her thigh, and for a brief moment, she wondered exactly what he was doing with his other hand.

"Argh!" she cried out, grabbing her hands onto Sesshomaru's wrist by her throat.

Sesshomaru ignored her cry of pain and continued to poke at the gashes along her abdomen that Inuyasha had created. Hissing in pain, her eyes flickering with crimson light, Kirara tried to clench her hands into fists, her claws biting into the skin of Sesshomaru's arm, creating small rivulets of blood to spill down over his skin.

When Sesshomaru eventually stopped, Kirara sighed in relief, her eyes returning to their usual green of her human form, her fingers opening against Sesshomaru's wrist as her muscles slowly relaxed again. She gasped again as Sesshomaru leaned forwards, his face suddenly mere inches from her own, his expression a little darker and sterner than its usual blank void.

"Your wounds are not fatal," he said plainly. "You will live."

Kirara was relieved to hear his words, though a small part of her could not help but note how he had worded his statement: once again, he used the term "you will".

"Thank you," she said slowly.

Sesshomaru stared back at her silently, his face still uncomfortably close to hers, his hand still around her throat. Kirara slowly looked down at his arm, her eyes widening as she saw the series of shallow scratches she had created over the surface of his skin.

"I'm sorry I scratched you," she added, looking up into his eyes again.

"Don't apologise," Sesshomaru quickly replied.

Kirara opened her mouth to speak, stopping as he suddenly released her and stood, turning his back on her, all in one smooth, fluid motion. Kirara pushed herself up onto her elbows, moaning slightly at the pain as she did so. Sesshomaru once more pulled the Tokijin from his belt, holding it loosely at his side. He slowly made his way over to the doorway leading back to the courtyard, which had been widened by Inuyasha when he had leapt through it in his frenzied demon form. Once at the doorway, Sesshomaru paused, a light breeze from outside catching his hair and gently easing it back over his shoulders.

'Wow,' Kirara thought to herself. 'He certainly is beautiful.'

"Stay here," he said quietly, before stepping back out into the courtyard.

"But…" Kirara began to protest.

Kirara sighed in defeat, deciding that she was in position to argue. She would be more of a hindrance on the battlefield than a help in the condition that she was in, and so the best thing she could do was to rest her body to allow her wounds time to heal. Thanks to her demon powers, the wound Kohaku had created in her shoulder had sealed over completely. The wounds from Inuyasha's claws were far more severe, but, thanks to her armour, they were not as bad as she had expected them to be. Although her armour had been ruined, it had absorbed most of the blow, leaving Kirara with wounds that, whilst serious, would heal reasonably well.

Kirara slowly lay back down onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Sesshomaru had sworn to kill her after the events at his castle, and yet despite having had several chances to do so, he never had. This, she decided, was much like how he never tried to kill Inuyasha when he was in his demon form. Sesshomaru was a man of honour, and there was no honour in killing someone who was not fit to fight back fairly; or in her own case, not fight to fight back at all, because, when compared to him, she was nothing more than a weak and pitiful creature who was (as Miroku had said) "almost as weak as a mortal". And, Kirara thought miserably, Sesshomaru had saved and adopted Rin, he had saved his brother he hated from himself, and, whilst she lay nursing her wounds, he was probably fighting off Naraku and saving everyone else.

Sesshomaru, Kirara decided, was just as much a hero as Kagome, Sango, Miroku or even Inuyasha himself. The only difference was, Sesshomaru did not go around bragging about it. He had killed many times before, but it had never been without reason.

'He's perfect,' Kirara thought to herself, closing her eyes as tears threatened to escape them. 'He's perfect, and I'm pathetic. And now he's in love with Kagura. Jaken was wrong, Lord Sesshomaru never did intend to ask me to be his mate again. Why would he? He said that he never repeats himself. And I totally humiliated him, how can I expect him to want to ask me again after all that? Kagura's a lot stronger than I am, and although I don't care for her at all, I can't deny that she is more of a lady than I ever could be.'

"Damn it," Kirara groaned, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes. "I would have said yes."

* * *

"Hey kid, come on. Stop crying. Everything's gonna be fine. You gotta try to smile for Sango. She's been so worried about you."

Inuyasha watched Kohaku carefully, wishing that the sun would rise already, and that the emotionally spent boy by his side would cease his weeping.

"I didn't want to remember," Kohaku sobbed. "I killed them all!"

"It wasn't you," Inuyasha said, trying to remain patient. "It was Naraku. He was controlling you. He made you do it against your will."

"But Sango," Kohaku said slowly. "She's still alive, you say?"

"She's back there fighting Naraku right now," Inuyasha replied. "And pretty soon I'll be joining her."

Inuyasha stood up, scowling at the horizon, which was beginning to grow paler.

"You have to stay here, Kohaku," Inuyasha said, his confidence increasing as the sky grew lighter and lighter. "Don't move from here. Once I've killed Naraku and completed the Shikon Jewel, I'll come back for you. And then you, Sango, Miroku and Kirara can all live peacefully together."

"Miroku?" Kohaku echoed. "Who is Miroku?"

Inuyasha looked down over his shoulder at Kohaku, suppressing a shudder as he imagined Kohaku, at the influential age that he was, under the tutelage of the lecherous monk.

"Miroku is Sango's boyfriend," he explained. "You'll meet him soon enough."

"Sango's… Boyfriend?" Kohaku repeated. "Sango has a boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied, only vaguely aware of what Kohaku was saying.

Ahead of him, the horizon was starting to glow, and the lethargy that had been plaguing his muscles was starting to lift. As soon as the sun was up, he planned to run back to Naraku's castle, break the barrier, and destroy Naraku once and for all. He hoped that Kagome had managed to stay alive and had not been hurt. If anything bad had happened to her, Inuyasha had decided he would punish Sesshomaru – since it would be Sesshomaru's fault if such a thing had indeed occurred, after he had promised to protect Kagome – by cutting off his fingers and poking them through his eyeballs.

Inuyasha grinned to himself as he imagined his brother with no fingers and two scarred and redundant eye-sockets.

"I can't believe Sango has a boyfriend," Kohaku continued. "Is it the monk you travelled with? I remember him. He seemed like a kind man. I hope we all move back to our village. It will be so much fun, we'll have our own family again. Sango and her boyfriend, and me and Kirara. I can take care of Kirara now that Sango has a boyfriend. She can train with me. I always wanted my own pet cat demon. It's been so long since the days when Kirara would curl up at my feet and fall asleep. I wonder when that will happen again?"

"How about never, kid!" Inuyasha snorted. "Unless of course you want a clumsy adult woman who's too tall, wears men's clothes and likes to tell you her opinion all the time curled up at your feet."

"What?" Kohaku echoed.

"Kirara's changed since you last saw her, kid," Inuyasha replied, closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath as the light of the rising sun graced his features.

He heard Kohaku gasp behind him as his ears moved back to the top of his head, his hair turned silver, his fingernails turned into claws and his fangs grew to sharp points. Inuyasha opened his eyes again, unable to contain the smile that tugged at his lips.

"What happened?" Kohaku asked. "Your hair changed colour!"

"That's not all that changed, kid," Inuyasha replied, turning around and pulling out the Tetsusaiga, watching with childlike glee as it transformed and turned red. "Start cooking breakfast Kohaku, we'll all be back just as soon as I've sliced through Naraku with my Tetsusaiga!"

Kohaku began to point out that he had nothing to cook breakfast with, or indeed any breakfast to cook in the first place, but Inuyasha had already run off.

* * *

"He's just toying with us," Miroku said coldly.

"This is all Sesshomaru's fault," Sango growled, narrowing her dark eyes as she looked across the courtyard at the dog demon. "He could have finished Naraku off long ago, but he's so preoccupied with Kagura, he won't do it."

"Do you think the sun has come up yet?" Kagome asked. "I don't even know where Inuyasha is. I hope he comes round when the sun comes up."

"Inuyasha isn't the only one that's missing," Miroku solemnly pointed out.

"Kirara's gone and so has Kohaku," Sango sighed. "I can't take this any more!"

"Sango, no!" Miroku yelled.

But Sango ignored him, running from their temporary hiding place gripping her Hiraikotsu as she prepared to throw it at Naraku's neck.

"Naraku!" she yelled. "Die!"

Sango swung her weapon around, only to falter, almost falling over as she gripped back onto her Hiraikotsu. Relieved that she had managed to stop her attack, Sango took longer than she normally would have done to acknowledge the identity of the human standing between her and Naraku.

"Kikyo!" Kagome gasped.

Sango looked back over her shoulder, finding Miroku and Kagome not far behind her, both looking shocked. Turning back, she saw that it was indeed Kikyo that blocked their path to Naraku.

"Give me your sacred jewel shards, girl," Kikyo said coldly, lifting up her bow and loading an arrow onto it.

Kagome gasped, shuffling back a few steps.

"Why?" she asked. "What are you going to do with them?"

"Don't waste time!" Kikyo snapped. "Give me the sacred jewel shards, now!"

Kagome glanced back and forth from Kikyo to Miroku, slowly lifting up the small bottle with her jewel shards in it.

"What should I do, Miroku?" she whispered, looking up at the monk by her side.

Miroku's bottom jaw moved up and down, but no sound came out. His eyes were darting back and forth between Kikyo and Naraku as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"How did you manage to pass through Naraku's barrier?" Sango asked Kikyo, sensing Kagome's indecision and using the opportunity to try to gain some enlightenment.

"Naraku let me in," Kikyo replied.

Sango glanced back at Kagome, before slowly shaking her head at Kikyo.

"Are you here to help Naraku?" she asked, deciding that only a direct question would achieve the answers she sought.

Kikyo stretched her bow back, her eyes narrowing. Before Kikyo could answer Sango or anyone else could act however, Naraku's barrier once more dissolved around them.

"The sun's up!" Miroku said, looking up at the sky overhead.

"That was Inuyasha breaking the barrier!" Kagome added. "I wonder if he's still using the jewel shards?"

"Wait a minute…" Sango said thoughtfully. "Why was Inuyasha outside of Naraku's barrier?"

"Maybe he broke it from the inside," Kagome began. "It's possible that – hey!"

Kagome yelped in alarm as Kikyo shoved her to the ground, grabbing the jewel shards from her and then running across the courtyard, away from Naraku.

"What is she doing?" Sango asked anyone who cared to listen.

"I don't know," Miroku mused. "It's so hard to tell."

"You're telling me!" Kagome said, pouting indignantly as she stood up once more. "I don't know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys any more!"

Sango and Miroku followed Kagome's finger as she pointed around the courtyard at Sesshomaru, Kagura, Koga and the wolves and finally Kikyo.

"True," Miroku agreed, his eyes fixed on something above them. "But I think we can safely say that Inuyasha is on our side."

Kagome spun around, breaking into a smile of delight as she saw Inuyasha floating towards them, the Tetsusaiga in his hands, his eyes golden once more as he appeared in his usual, half-demon form.

"Inuyasha!" she called to him, opening out her arms expectantly.

"K…" he began. "Kikyo!"

"Huh?" Kagome gasped, her smile dropping as Inuyasha altered his course, landing in front of Kikyo at the other end of the courtyard.

"Then again…" Miroku muttered.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Kikyo is trying to complete the Shikon Jewel, but what are her plans once she has done so? Will she fight against Naraku or will she fight for him? Inuyasha learns a hard lesson, Kagome is surprised and Sesshomaru says farewell. **Chapter 29 – Kikyo's Decision**.


	29. Kikyo's Decision

**Recap:** Sesshomaru saved Inuyasha from himself, but told Inuyasha that he had overcome his demon spirit on his own. Kohaku was saved and as the sun rose Inuyasha returned to his half-demon form. The fight against Naraku continued, with Kikyo appearing and stealing the jewel shards from Kagome.

* * *

 **Chapter 29 – Kikyo's Decision**

Kagome spun around, breaking into a smile of delight as she saw Inuyasha floating towards them, the Tetsusaiga in his hands, his eyes golden once more as he appeared in his usual, half-demon form.

"Inuyasha!" she called to him, opening out her arms expectantly.

"K…" he began. "Kikyo!"

"Huh?" Kagome gasped, her smile dropping as Inuyasha altered his course, landing in front of Kikyo at the other end of the courtyard.

"Then again…" Miroku muttered.

"Inuyasha…" Kikyo said softly.

"Kikyo, what are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked her, his eyes wide with bewilderment.

"I need those sacred jewel shards you have Inuyasha," she firmly replied. "Give them to me."

"What?" Inuyasha echoed. "But… What will you do with them?"

"Stop wasting time, Inuyasha!" Kikyo snapped back. "Give them to me now!"

Inuyasha slowly reached a hand into his haori, his eyes wide and fixed onto Kikyo as he did so.

"Inuyasha don't do it!" Kagome yelled. "We don't even know if we can trust her! She's not real, remember? This might just be another one of Naraku's traps!"

But Inuyasha ignored Kagome, handing the shards to Kikyo slowly but without hesitation. Kikyo smirked, a small laugh escaping her lips. Kagome cried out in frustration as Kikyo walked to the back of the courtyard, soon disappearing into the castle itself.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome growled. "What were you thinking? If she gives those shards to Naraku, he'll have the whole jewel!"

"We don't know that for certain," Miroku pointed out.

"Although Naraku's piece of the jewel is so large, those shards Kikyo has are probably the only other remaining pieces," Sango said.

"I trust Kikyo," Inuyasha said quietly.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome wailed, tears burning at her eyes.

"I trust Kikyo," Inuyasha said again. "And the body she has now may not be the body of a living mortal, but her soul is still the same. She was the first person to ever believe in me, and she gave her life for me. I can't ever forget that."

Kagome whimpered, a tear slipping out of one eye.

"And besides, we've got bigger things to worry about right now," Inuyasha continued.

"Inuyasha, I have a question," Miroku began. "Where were you all night? And what happened to you?"

"I removed the jewel shards from my body, but then I realised I wasn't strong enough to fight back any more," Inuyasha explained. "Sesshomaru made me leave with Kohaku."

"Kohaku?" Sango echoed, her eyes widening.

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied, nodding his head. "It turns out that I took his jewel shard while I was still using the power of the three jewel shards I already had. But I managed to save his life. He got all his memories back, and he's not doing too well, but he's looking forward to starting again with you, Sango."

"You saved Kohaku?" Sango repeated. "In your demon form? Inuyasha…"

"What about Kirara?" Miroku asked. "What happened to her?"

"Oh, I left her with Sesshomaru," Inuyasha casually replied. "She was a mess."

"She had a wound on her shoulder," Miroku pointed out.

"I didn't see any wounds on her shoulder," Inuyasha slowly replied. "But that's probably cause she was lying flat on her back. She had some really bad wounds over her stomach though."

"What?" Sango yelped.

"You left her with your brother?" Miroku asked. "I'm not sure that was the best idea…"

Miroku stepped aside, moving his staff towards the scene behind him. Inuyasha's eyes followed the direction Miroku was pointing, his head tilting to one side as he studied what he saw.

"Damn him, he's not interfering this time!" Inuyasha yelled, lifting his Tetsusaiga to one shoulder and charging off across the courtyard.

The others turned to watch him go, each shocked to find that Sesshomaru had apparently killed Naraku.

"Hey jackass!" Inuyasha yelled, running at his brother, ready to chop his head off with the sword their father had gifted him with.

"Stay back!" Sesshomaru shouted at him.

"No chance!" Inuyasha replied. "You think that you can…"

Inuyasha slowly stopped talking, and slowed to a halt a few feet short of his older brother. Inuyasha blinked several times in confusion at what he saw. He was certain he had never seen his brother look that way before, and the very sight of it made him suddenly afraid.

"Move, unless you wish to die," Sesshomaru growled at him.

Inuyasha took a step back, eying his brother over in amazement. Sesshomaru's clothing was torn in several places and spattered with a series of small blood stains and his hair was ragged and limp, sticking to the sweat around his forehead and down the sides of his face and neck. He had somehow lost the fur scarf from over his right shoulder, and the armour plate over his left shoulder had a chunk missing from it.

But, more unsettling than anything else in Inuyasha's mind, his brother was panting heavily, looking thoroughly exhausted, something Inuyasha had never seen happen to his all-powerful, graceful and aloof older brother before.

"What the hell happened to you?" Inuyasha asked, waving a hand at Sesshomaru's uncharacteristically dishevelled form.

Before Sesshomaru could answer, one of Naraku's spiked, insect-like legs shot towards him. He leapt out of harm's way, jumping up and back onto the roof of the veranda behind them. Inuyasha continued to stand perfectly still, dumbly watching on as his brother growled, his eyes flashing red before he leapt back down to the ground, landing more heavily on his feet than he normally would.

"Naraku won't die," Sesshomaru explained, catching Inuyasha's staring eyes as he straightened himself up. "Take those jewel shards you have and leave. If he gains any more power, it may be impossible to kill him."

"Um…" Inuyasha began awkwardly, his face turning slightly pink.

Sessshomaru narrowed his eyes, his lips thinning.

"You do still have the jewel shards, don't you Inuyasha?" he asked gruffly.

"No, but it's okay, they're safe," Inuyasha confidently replied.

"Define safe," Sesshomaru said.

"I gave them to Kikyo."

Another one of Naraku's spiked legs shot towards the two brothers, and they leapt apart to avoid the blow.

"Kikyo?" Sesshomaru called over to Inuyasha. "Which one is Kikyo?"

"The priestess who owned the sacred jewel in the first place," Inuyasha called back.

"The one who pinned you to a tree for fifty years?"

"Yeah."

Inuyasha leapt back from one Naraku's tendrils, turning to find that Naraku's once limp and broken form was almost fully regenerated.

"Damn," he muttered. "Ow!"

Inuyasha's head was knocked forwards as Sesshomaru punched a fist into the back of his head.

"What the hell was that for?" Inuyasha yelled at him.

"You fool!" Sesshomaru snarled. "Your stupidity never ceases to amaze me! What were you thinking?"

"Calm down!" Inuyasha snapped. "Kikyo won't let Naraku have the shards! She hates him! Naraku still has the heart of Onigumo, a human who once fell in love with Kikyo. She knows what she's doing. I trust her."

"You gave the shards to Naraku's human lover," Sesshomaru said flatly.

"No!" Inuyasha shouted. "Kikyo's not Naraku's lover! She loves me!"

"It's certainly not difficult to see which of us was gifted with intelligence," Sesshomaru muttered.

"Hey, I heard that, you stupid jackass!"

"If only your mind were as sharp as your ears, we might not be in this mess."

"Ah, shut-up! It doesn't matter anyway, because I'm going to finish Naraku, right here and right now!"

Inuyasha grasped onto the Tetsusaiga with both hands, fixing his eyes onto Naraku's now fully regenerated form.

"Wind Scar!" he yelled, slicing his sword down through the air and sending a series of energy blasts at Naraku.

"Fool," Sesshomaru muttered behind him.

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha snapped, rounding on his brother. "He's finished! And I didn't even need to break a sweat!"

Inuyasha laughed at Sesshomaru, but Sesshomaru remained unfazed.

"Open your eyes, you idiot," he said flatly.

"Huh?" Inuyasha grunted, turning back to Naraku.

As the blazing light of Inuyasha's attack died away, Naraku's body lay strewn across the courtyard, the air around them becoming suddenly deathly still and silent. A second later, Sesshomaru began charging forwards, clutching the Tokijin in both hands, his face set with determination.

"Hey, back off, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yelled after him. "I've already finished Naraku for you!"

Inuyasha smirked at his brother's seemingly wasted effort, only to cry out in alarm a moment later as something grabbed onto his right leg, squeezing onto him tightly. Looking down, Inuyasha saw a grey, pulsing, slimy, chunk of one of Naraku's tendrils.

"What the hell?" he muttered, clawing through the fleshy lump with one hand. "Why is it still moving?"

The lump fell to the ground in two halves, shivered for a moment, and then both parts shot up, one grabbing Inuyasha's throat, the other locking around his left wrist, squeezing until he almost dropped the Tetsusaiga. As Inuyasha fought to claw off the tendril piece around his throat, his breathing becoming increasingly restricted by its hold, he moved his eyes to Sesshomaru, only to find his brother up in the air, a tendril around each of his legs and one of his arms. Sesshomaru's teeth were bared and he looked infuriated; but, to Inuyasha's confusion, Sesshomaru was not using his one free hand to fight off the tendrils around him.

Sesshomaru was holding up the Tokijin in his free hand and pointing the tip at a flesh-coloured lump by the edge of the veranda at the opposite side of the courtyard.

Inuyasha began to puzzle over just what his brother was doing, but the two lumps attacking him suddenly tightened their hold, and he was forced to drop the Tetsusaiga. Understanding the implications of not having his sword, and not particularly wishing to lose control of himself again at such a crucial moment in the battle, Inuyasha hurriedly tore through the lump at his throat, bent down and grabbed up the Tetsusaiga in his right hand, and then bit through the lump around his left wrist.

Taking hold of his sword in both hands, Inuyasha turned back to Naraku, yelping at what he saw: Naraku was almost fully regenerated, as though he had never even been hit with the Wind Scar.

"Hey Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha began, turning his head to look up at his brother, who was now being held in place by five tendrils: one on each arm, one on each leg and one around his waist. "What's happening? Why is Narkau able to survive the Wind Scar?"

"Fool…" Sesshomaru replied, his voice strained as he struggled against Naraku's grip. "His heart… Aim for his heart, it's the only way…"

"His heart?" Inuyasha echoed, turning to Naraku, who had completely reformed, including his humanlike head, arms and torso. "But my last shot hit him in the chest!"

"Not… His chest…" Sesshomaru growled.

"Huh?" Inuyasha muttered, turning to look up at Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha waited for his brother to continue, but soon realised that, under the vice-like grip Naraku had around his upper body, Sesshomaru was struggling to breathe. Inuyasha heard a series of sickening, cracking sounds, and wondered which bones his brother had just broken.

"You know how to defeat Naraku, Sesshomaru?" Kagome yelled. "I hope you're telling the truth…"

"Kagome, no!" Sango protested.

But Kagome ignored the others, firing an arrow at the trunk of the tendril that was gripping onto Sesshomaru's body. The tendril glowed at the point of impact, before dissolving into thin air. Sesshomaru quickly pulled his arms together, cutting through the tendrils holding them with his Tokijin and then cutting free his legs.

"The spider," Sesshomaru explained as he landed by Inuyasha's side once more, his armour splitting around his ribs where it had been cracked by Naraku's hold. "Every time he regenerates, the pieces of his body all move towards the spider. If we destroy the spider, we destroy Naraku."

"Wow," Inuyasha said sarcastically. "You just said "we"."

"Naraku's body is made up of innumerable other demons," Sesshomaru replied. "Their immense numbers are making this fight more difficult than it needs to be."

"In other words, you need my help, jackass," Inuyasha sang, grinning to himself. "Face it Sesshomaru, you're not strong enough to defeat Naraku on your own. You need me. You saw me controlling my demon blood and the jewel shards, and now you finally realise that I'm better than you."

Sesshomaru ignored Inuyasha's comments, causing his younger brother to laugh confidently.

"I have an idea," Miroku called over to them. "Inuyasha, use your Wind Scar again."

"Yeah, I know!" Inuyasha called back. "But this time, aim it at the spider, right?"

"No," Miroku called back. "Just do exactly what you did before. Trust me."

Sesshomaru studied Miroku for a moment, before turning to Sango and Kagome, who were hurrying over to the back corner of the courtyard.

"I see," he muttered.

"What?" Inuyasha echoed, frowning up at him.

"Your mortal friend wishes to use the void in his hand to remove all of the extra pieces of Naraku's body," Sesshomaru quietly explained. "Making it easier for us to get a clear shot at his heart."

"That'll never work!" Inuyasha drawled. "Naraku will just let out his poison insects, and they'll kill Miroku!"

"I think your friend already knows that," Sesshomaru calmly replied.

"Huh?" Inuyasha echoed.

But Sesshomaru had already launched into the air, the Tokijin held in both hands in front of him.

"Oh no you don't!" Inuyasha yelled, leaping after him.

Sesshomaru swung his sword through the air, an arc of green light shooting outwards towards Naraku. As he moved back, Inuyasha appeared beside him, holding the Tetsusaiga above his head with both hands.

"Get down, you fool!" Sesshomaru shouted at him, kicking Inuyasha in the gut and sending him flying back towards the ground.

"You basta–" Inuyasha began, his voice being cut off as his body smashed through the wooden roof of a nearby building.

Sesshomaru quickly dropped low to the ground, backing under the veranda as Miroku opened the cover to his wind tunnel.

"This is stupid," Inuyasha grumbled, holding onto a pillar inside the building as the broken roof above him began to shatter further, sections breaking off and shooting towards Miroku's hand. "Naraku will just use his poison insects to kill Miroku!"

"You're finished this time, Naraku!" Miroku yelled, holding his hand steady.

Feeling more confident than ever when no poison insects appeared, Miroku barely noticed the faint sound of laughter at first. Not until his hand began to cramp slightly, the sensation of his fingers being forced apart straining on his nerves did Miroku finally begin to realise that something was seriously wrong.

"You fool, monk!" Naraku's voice yelled at him. "Did you honestly think that I would be so careless as to curse you with a weapon that you could just turn on me?"

"What?" Miroku said softly, his brow furrowing as the discomfort in his hand turned into pain.

Miroku gasped in alarm as he felt the skin around his wind tunnel ripping.

"Stop it Miroku!" Sango yelled to him. "It's a trap!"

Miroku hurriedly closed over his wind tunnel, wrapping the prayer beads around his hand. He immediately dropped to his knees, a cold sweat breaking out over his body.

'It's too late,' he thought miserably. 'I've widened the wind tunnel. Even though it's covered, I can still feel it trying to pull. I don't have long left before I am sucked in myself.'

Miroku lifted his head, his eyes moving to Sango.

'I have to get out of here, before I hurt anyone else,' he thought, struggling to his feet.

Sango's eyes widened as she watched Miroku stumble across the courtyard.

"Miroku?" she called to him. "What's the matter, Miroku? Where are you going?"

"Don't follow me!" he called back, before stumbling into a building with a broken-down doorway.

"Miroku!"

Miroku paused, turning to find Kirara sitting in a corner of the room he was in.

"Ki-Kirara?"

"Miroku, what's wrong?"

Kirara closed the fastening of her armour at her side, standing up and approaching Miroku.

"What happened to you?" Miroku asked, frowning down at the tears in her solid metal armour.

"Oh, nothing much," she lied. "Where are you going?"

"It's my wind tunnel…" Miroku began, closing his fist and holding his fingers in place with his other hand.

"It's not… Has the hole gotten wider?" Kirara asked, her face turning pale as she began to fear the worst.

"I don't have long," Miroku said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm going to go somewhere where I know I won't hurt anyone else. Do me favour please, Kirara?"

"Certainly, what do you need?"

"Look after Sango for me."

Kirara opened her mouth to protest, but Miroku ran on, disappearing through the door Kirara had watched Inuyasha leave through with Kohaku the night before.

"Miroku!" Sango yelled, streaking past Kirara.

"Sango, no!" Kirara cried, hurrying after her.

"Miroku!" Sango yelled, tearing after him as he staggered down the side of the mountain, stumbling over rocks and branches as he went.

In his waning state of health, Miroku could not out-run Sango, and she quickly caught up with him, running into his path to stop him.

"What are you doing, Miroku?" she demanded, tears welling in her eyes.

"Stay away from me Sango," he warned. "The wind tunnel… I took in too much I can't control it any more. Any minute now it will break loose and suck in everything, including me. If you don't move away, I might suck you in too. I can't stop it once it starts. I saw what happened to my father, he had no control over it whatsoever."

"I won't leave you Miroku," Sango said firmly.

She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"I love you Miroku," she whispered into his ear.

"Sango…" he said weakly. "I love you too."

"Miroku!" Sango wailed as something grabbed her from behind and tore her from him.

Looking up, Sango saw Kirara in her fire-cat form, her teeth hooked into Sango's clothing, flying them around the side of the mountain.

"Put me down, Kirara!" Sango sobbed, kicking and thrashing around as she tried to free herself.

Kirara ignored Sango's pleas, only landing when she saw Kohaku sitting against a large rock. Kirara released Sango, who immediately turned to leave again.

"Sango!" Kohaku said, standing abruptly.

"K-Kohaku?" Sango said, turning to look at him. "Kohaku, Inuyasha did save your life! Kohaku, stay here with Kirara, I have to help Miroku."

Sango turned to leave again, almost walking right into Kirara in her human form.

"You're not going anywhere," Kirara said hurriedly. "Miroku asked me to keep you safe."

"I can't leave him!" Sango sobbed. "I won't leave him! Miroku!"

Sango tried to shove past Kirara, but Kirara hurriedly grabbed her arms around Sango's waist, holding her back as she reached her arms out desperately to the distant figure of Miroku, kneeling over on the ground.

"Miroku!" she screamed, before breaking down and crying openly.

* * *

"What the hell are you all doing?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Killing Naraku!" Kagome moodily replied, firing another arrow at one of Naraku's crooked, insect legs.

"We're helping you Inuyasha," Ayame added, spinning around and kicking back one of Naraku's tendrils. "Because you've always helped us."

"Just shut-up and hit him with your sword already, dogboy!" Koga yelled.

"Koga?" Inuyasha spat.

"I'm gonna forgive you for stealing my jewel shards," Koga replied, punching through a thin tendril that had wrapped itself around Ginta's ankle. "But don't think I've forgotten what you did to me, you mangy mutt."

"Keh!" Inuyasha grunted.

Inuyasha began to run forwards to deliver another blow to Naraku, only to be knocked back by yet another one of Naraku's tendrils.

"This is hopeless! I can't even see the spider-mark any more!" he complained. "Hey Sesshomaru… Sesshomaru?"

Inuyasha's eyes grow large and round as he turned to find his brother standing holding Koga in the air by his throat.

"What the hell are you doing? We need to work together!" Inuyasha yelled at them.

"Talk about hypocritical!" Kagome snapped, angrily releasing another arrow with a loud twang of her bow.

"You got a problem with Koga, jackass?" Inuyasha yelled at Sesshomaru, ignoring Kagome.

Sesshomaru merely narrowed his eyes and tightened his hold on Koga, causing the wolf demon to choke helplessly as he began to suffocate.

"He deflected your sacred arrow, Kagome!" Ayame yelped.

"What?" Inuyasha roared, spinning around to face Naraku again.

As he watched, Kagome's arrow fell to the ground, its pink glow fading as it dropped.

"What the hell?" he muttered.

"Kikyo!" Kagome growled, her face hardening as she spotted Kikyo standing on the roof of the building behind Naraku. "She deflected my arrow! She protected Naraku!"

"She's giving the jewel shards to Naraku!" Ayame cried.

Sesshomaru dropped Koga, turning towards Naraku.

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha shouted to her. "Don't do it, Kikyo!"

"Stay out of this, Inuyasha!" Kikyo shouted back.

Inuyasha watched on in horrified shock as Kikyo handed the jewel shards she had taken from him to Naraku.

"But it's okay," he said slowly. "Because Kagome still has three shards, so Naraku still doesn't have the whole jewel."

"Inuyasha, Kikyo stole my shards!" Kagome yelled at him.

"What?"

"Hey, at least I didn't just give them to her like you did!"

"It's your job to protect the jewel, Kagome!"

"It is not!"

"It is too!"

"So much for working together…" Ayame muttered, rolling her eyes.

"You shut-up!" Inuyasha barked at her. "You should be scared right now, we're probably all about to die!"

Ahead of them, Naraku closed his hands around the jewel shards he had gathered, a white light seeping through the gaps between his fingers. As the gang watched, the light slowly changed from white to pale blue, to blue, to dark blue, and finally to black. Naraku began to laugh, opening his hands to reveal the completed Shikon Jewel, tainted with his evil and completely black, its usual glimmering lustre replaced by a dull, dark haze.

"Kikyo…" Inuyasha said, his face falling. "Why, Kikyo?"

"Because you must live, Inuyasha!" she called back.

"What?" he echoed, his face twisting in confusion.

"I won't allow Naraku to ruin any more lives," Kikyo continued. "And I won't allow the sacred jewel to spread any more sadness."

"What are you talking about, wench?" Naraku laughed.

"You're going to hell, Naraku," Kikyo firmly replied. "I'm going to use the power of the sacred jewel to send you there!"

"You can't do that!" Naraku replied. "Not unless you intend to come to hell with me."

"Kikyo, don't do it!" Inuyasha yelled frantically.

Everyone froze as Kikyo aimed an arrow at the jewel in Naraku's hands. Kagome began to wonder exactly what Kikyo was planning; surely all she would do would be to shatter the jewel into many hundred of pieces, just like Kagome herself had done. The thought of hunting for the jewel shards all over again suddenly filled her with dread.

"What is she doing?" Kagome wailed.

"It's over," Kikyo said darkly, firing her arrow.

Naraku started to move out of her path, but her arrow arced slightly, piercing through one of his hands and striking the jewel. Naraku cried out, and the ground beneath them began to rumble, cracks forming as beams of bright white light shot up from the earth.

"What's happening?" Ayame squealed as she was thrown off her feet by the unstable ground.

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha wailed, throwing his head back in despair.

The ground shattered beneath their feet, the buildings around the courtyard began to crumble and were razed to the ground. Rocks, splintered wood and earth were thrown around, burying everyone and everything inside the courtyard.

As the rumbling finally ceased, the remaining dust-clouds slowly dispersing overhead, where once there had been Naraku's castle there was now nothing but a mound of dirt.

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha cried, bursting out from under the rubble and dust, coughing as he unintentionally breathed in a mouthful of dry dirt. "Kikyo!"

"She sacrificed her life to save us all!" Kagome gasped, shaking the dirt from her hair as she slowly clambered out from under the rubble.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Is Naraku really gone?" Koga asked, struggling out from the wreckage.

"Wow," Ayame said as she climbed out, looking around at the swirls of dust clouds around them.

"That was…" Ginta began.

"Too easy?" Hakkaku finished.

"Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha and the others turned abruptly, all gasping in alarm as the prayer beads covering Miroku's wind tunnel burst apart, and the flap of cloth fell away to reveal his palm. Everyone dropped to the ground in preparation for the worst, Inuyasha being the first to leap to his feet again when Miroku began to laugh.

"You sick, twisted bastard, Miroku!" he yelled, marching towards him. "You think that's funny, huh?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled. "Calm down! If Miroku's wind tunnel has gone, that means Naraku really is dead this time!"

Inuyasha stopped short, thinking this over slowly.

"Miroku, that was cruel!" Sango laughed, running to his side and grabbing an arm around his neck.

Miroku turned to smile sheepishly at her, starting in shock as she pulled him to her, kissing him forcefully.

"S-Sango…" he said slowly as she pulled back.

To his surprise, she did not blush like she usually did when they were close, instead simply smiling up at him.

"I never forgot what you said, Miroku," she said sweetly. "You told me to keep smiling. And now I really do have something to smile about!"

Miroku started to answer her, but she moved towards him, pressing her lips against his to silence his voice.

"What the hell's gotten into them?" Inuyasha grumbled, his face twisting as Sango stopped kissing Miroku only to take his newly healed hand in both of hers and kiss his palm repeatedly.

"I'm free!"

Sango broke away from Miroku at last, and, along with all the others, they turned to see Kagura spinning around on the spot, grinning with childlike glee.

"Hey, I thought Naraku's incarnations died if we killed Naraku?" Inuyasha yelled, attracting her attention.

"They did," Kagura sighed, slinking towards him, her grin still brightening her face. "But I'm no longer a part of Naraku. I was set free by Lord Sesshomaru."

"You…" Sango growled, reaching for her.

Miroku quickly held her back, holding up his hand to silence her.

"There's just one thing I have to know," he said. "How long have you and Sesshomaru been plotting against Naraku together?"

Kagura smirked, opening out her fan and lifting it to cover her mouth and nose.

"A girl doesn't tell all her secrets…" she said quietly.

"You're the one who killed my men!" Koga barked at her. "I still have a score to settle with you!"

Ayame screamed as something burst from the ground by her side. The others turned to see what it was, but saw nothing more than a blur of silver and white. A second later, Koga was lying on the ground doubled over and groaning in pain, and Sesshomaru was standing in front of Kagura.

"Speak of the devil…" she said, lowering her fan to reveal her smirk.

"What's your problem?" Koga yelled at Sesshomaru. "And why did you help her? She's a part of Naraku, and you let her live!"

"Consider yourself fortunate that I have also allowed you to live, wolf," Sesshomaru replied, his eyes still fixed on Kagura as he spoke. "I have not forgotten what you let your wolves do to Rin."

"To who?" Koga echoed.

"I believe this is yours," Sesshomaru continued, ignoring Koga and holding out Kagura's heart towards her.

"I already told you, Lord Sesshomaru," she replied. "My heart is yours now. You saved my life, and now it belongs to you. If you hadn't revived me with that sword of yours after that wolf–"

"Exactly," Sesshomaru interrupted her. "I saved your life. My debt to you has been repaid. Take your heart back, I have no need for it."

Kagura's smirk dropped, her eyes widening as she reluctantly accepted her heart from Sesshomaru.

"Know that if I ever see you again, I will kill you," he added.

"But I…"

Kagura stopped talking, tilting her head to one side as Sesshomaru's demon energy gathered around his feet and he took to the air, flying smoothly away from the castle.

"I'll show him!" she growled, grabbing the feather from her hair and shooting up into the air in a gust of wind that caused everyone around her to stumble back.

"We should go too," Ayame said thoughtfully as she watched Kagura fly away. "You're badly hurt, Koga."

"I'm fine!" Koga lied. "But let's get out of here anyway. Smell you later, dogboy! Bye, Kagome!"

"Goodbye!" Ayame said to them.

"Bye!" Ginta and Hakkaku called.

"Goodbye!" Kagome called after them. "Stay in touch!"

"Don't bother!" Inuyasha yelled after them.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha upon his remark, and for a brief, awkward moment, the two glared at each other before Inuyasha turned his head to one side.

"Oh look, here comes Kohaku and Kirara!" Miroku said, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

Sango, Kagome and Inuyasha turned to watch as Kirara and Kohaku clambered up onto the pile of rubble, heading towards them. Once they were level with the others, Kohaku ran to Sango, who gladly caught him in a one-armed embrace, her other arm still locked around Miroku.

"Oh Inuyasha," Sango sighed as Kirara slowly joined them. "You've given me a family again. How can I ever thank you? Thanks to you, I met Miroku, you saved my life, you saved Kohaku so many times, and even now, you saved him from Naraku by removing the jewel shard."

Kirara slowly frowned, remembering then that Sesshomaru had told Inuyasha that he had been the one to save Kohaku. Inuyasha had obviously passed on this wisdom, and apparently no-one but Kirara herself knew any differently.

'I wonder where Sesshomaru is?' she thought to herself, looking up at the sky overhead. 'And I wonder why he saved Kohaku and Inuyasha, and then let Inuyasha take all the credit? I don't even know what happened out here. Who killed Naraku? And how? Did everyone survive?'

"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but all I want right now is a bath and a long, restful sleep," Miroku said cheerily.

"You're right," Sango agreed. "Let's head back to Kaede's village. I wonder if Hachi is still nearby?"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** The gang return to Kaede's village, and Kagome goes to the old well; but what will she do now? Will she go home, or will she stay in the feudal era? Both Kagome and Inuyasha consider their futures and their feelings for each other as Kagome tries to decide what to do. **Chapter 30 – Kagome's Choice**.


	30. Kagome's Choice

**Recap:** After a long and hard fight with Naraku, Kikyo eventually banished him to hell using the Shikon Jewel. Miroku's wind tunnel vanished and Kagura was free at last.

* * *

 **Chapter 30 – Kagome's Choice**

"So you were always human?" Kohaku asked.

"I'm not human, Kohaku," Kirara gently explained. "I just have the ability to take a human form."

"Wow," Kohaku said quietly. "So what was it like being a cat all the time?"

"Boring," Kirara replied, grinning down at him. "Very, very boring!"

"And now she's just weird!" Koru chirped.

"Kohaku, have you met Koru?" Kirara asked sweetly. "He's a worm demon."

"I'm not a worm, I'm a dragon!" Koru snapped. "I come from an honourable clan of dragon demons!"

"Kohaku?" Shippo asked.

"Oh, hi," Kohaku said shyly.

"We're going to play a game over in the fields, do you want to come with us?"

Kohaku glanced back and forth between Shippo and Soten before turning to Kirara.

"On you go," she encouraged. "Enjoy yourself. You've spent too long being sad. Go and have fun and behave like a child, while you still can!"

Kohaku smiled, nodding his head, before running off with Shippo and Soten.

"They didn't invite me…" Koru grumbled.

"Maybe because you're so damn annoying?" Kirara suggested.

"They didn't invite you, either!" Koru added.

"I'm not a kid."

Kirara smiled, lying onto her back, resting her head on her upturned palms.

"Crazy cat," Koru muttered.

"Wimpy worm," Kirara replied, closing her eyes to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

"And you say that you're not a kid…"

Kirara grinned, deciding that she was too tired to bother reprimanding the miniature dragon for his insolence. The journey back from Naraku's castle had taken the best part of a day, and by the time everyone had bathed, had their wounds tended to and eaten, it had been very late at night. Although everyone had gone to bed, most had barely slept at all.

"Well, that's everything," Kagome announced with a sigh.

"Kagome," Sango said, approaching her. "You're leaving already?"

Kirara sat up, frowning questioningly at Kagome.

"Inuyasha is still sulking, everyone's wounds have been dressed, so there's not really much point in me hanging around here," Kagome replied. "I just hope I can still get through the well now that the sacred jewel has been destroyed."

"What if you can get home, but you can't ever come back?" Miroku asked.

"I hadn't thought of that," Kagome confessed. "But although I would miss you all, I don't really see any reason why I would need to come back."

"What about Inuyasha?" Sango asked. "You and him were so close–"

"Were so close," Kagome interrupted her. "But it looks like his heart still belongs to Kikyo."

"Kagome, Inuyasha is just sad because Kikyo sent herself to hell with Naraku," Miroku explained. "It's understandable, Kikyo was the first person to ever show Inuyasha any compassion. Of course he still cares about her. But Inuyasha loves you, Kagome."

"Well he's sure got a funny way of showing it," Kagome shortly replied. "He's been sitting up in that tree ever since we got back, and he hasn't said a word to anyone. Tell him I said goodbye."

"Kagome, wait!" Sango tried.

But Sango and Miroku's attempts to stop Kagome were in vain, as she marched out of the village with purpose, heading towards the old well. Kagome kept going until she neared the well, where she gradually drew to a halt, standing a few feet short of the doorway between the ages.

'What if Miroku was right?' she thought, chewing at her bottom lip nervously. 'What if I go home, but can't ever come back to the feudal era? I won't ever see Inuyasha again.'

Kagome started to walk again, but stopped again just before she reached the well.

'I can't stay here forever, my family will be worried about me,' she thought. 'And I miss them too. But if I can't come back… If Inuyasha doesn't love me, I don't need to come back. The jewel is complete and gone. I'm not needed here any more. Back home, I have school to go to, a life to get on with. Here all I've got is…'

"Inuyasha," she whispered aloud, peering over the edge of the well.

Kagome sighed thoughtfully, but soon made up her mind about what to do next.

"After all that we've been through, you still chose Kikyo over me," she said into the well. "When you broke Naraku's barrier, you ran to Kikyo. You didn't even see me. If I can't come back, it won't matter to you."

Kagome took a deep breath, and jumped into the well.

* * *

Inuyasha stared out across the land, his eyes casually following the branches of the trees around him as they swayed rhythmically in the wind. Watching the branches and leaves drift back and forth, Inuyasha found himself feeling very tired; but still he would not give in to sleep. He had not slept for two nights in a row: the night of the new moon during their battle against Naraku, or the following night, when they had returned after Naraku's defeat.

Inuyasha had just one thought on his mind: for a second time, Kikyo had died unfairly at Naraku's hands, and for a second time, he was left feeling responsible.

At first, his friends had tried to coax him down from the tree with offers of food, the offer of a blanket for the night and eventually with insults regarding how dirty and smelly he was becoming; but Inuyasha had ignored them all. To Inuyasha, the only one point of interest in their efforts had been the fact that everyone had spoken to him – Sango, Miroku, Kirara, Shippo, Kaede, Soten and even Koru – but Kagome had not come anywhere near him.

'She must still be mad at me,' he thought to himself. 'She sure can hold a grudge.'

Inuyasha reassured himself that he had done nothing to upset Kagome. The problem was simply that Kagome was too damn stupid to realise how he felt after what he had just been through. She had no reason to be angry or upset. He had overcome his demon blood and the power of three jewel shards to save Kohaku, and he had fought hard against Naraku. Kagome ought to be pleased.

'Where the hell is she?' Inuyasha wondered, peering down over either side of the branch he was perched on. 'She owes me an apology for getting all moody with me anyway!'

Inuyasha sat back hard, his back thumping against the trunk of the tree. He had enough to think about without worrying about why Kagome was sulking with him. He wondered if Kikyo had actually gone to hell with Naraku, and if she would be made to stay there forever, or if there was a way she could somehow escape. She deserved better after such a selfless life than to spend all eternity in such a horrid place with evil like Naraku for company.

Inuyasha sighed, his nose crinkling as he breathed in again. As much as he was loathed to admit to it, the others were certainly right about one thing: he did stink.

* * *

"Hey Kagome!"

Kagome stopped, looking back over her shoulder.

"Oh hi Eri, Yuka, Ayumi," Kagome said, forcing a smile as her friends ran towards her.

"Did you get over your agoraphobia already, Kagome?" Eri asked, frowning at her in concern.

'Must… Kill… Grandpa…' Kagome thought darkly.

"Oh yeah!" she said brightly. "I saw this great hypno-therapist!"

"Really?" Yuka asked.

"So come on Kagome," Ayumi said slyly as all four girls began to walk on together. "We haven't seen you for a while, what's the latest on Mister Attitude?"

"He's a total jerk, and I don't want to talk about him!" Kagome growled, walking faster as images of Inuyasha crying for Kikyo after their battle against Naraku flitted through her mind.

"She's says that all the time…" Yuka said.

"She's obviously still crazy about him…" Ayumi sighed.

"He sounds like such a passionate guy, I'd love to meet him someday!" Eri said dreamily.

'No chance of that!' Kagome thought to herself. 'My friends can't pass through the well to visit him in the feudal era, and there's no way they would understand if they saw Inuyasha with his dog-ears and totally out-of-date clothes in this era.'

Kagome slowly looked up at the sky overhead.

'Then again,' she thought to herself. 'I might not be able to pass through the well now. I might never see Inuyasha ever again. I wonder if he even knows that I've gone yet? Or if he even cares?'

Kagome sighed, hanging her head. Behind her, she heard her friends continue to speculate on whether or not "Mister Attitude" was actually "Mister Right", "Mister Wrong" or just "Mister Misunderstood". Their gossiping continued until the girls reached the school gates, where they sighted Hojo, instantly silencing them all.

Hojo came over to greet them as he always did, and asked Kagome about her latest disorder, as he always did. But his words washed right over Kagome's head.

'He doesn't know a single thing about me,' she thought to herself as he gave her a speech on the importance of Vitamin D. 'None of them do. I've changed so much since I was first dragged down the well. I don't even feel like I belong here any more – but this is my real life!'

Kagome sighed again.

'What am I going to do now?'

* * *

Inuyasha's ears twitched, and his golden eyes narrowed as a familiar scent reached his nose.

"What do you want?" he barked moodily, without bothering to look down at the person he knew was nearby.

"I just wanted to tell ye that ye are not the only one suffering," Kaede called up to him.

"You're gonna tell me I have to go talk to Kagome, aren't you?" he grumbled.

"That would be a sensible idea," Kaede began. "But maybe not a realistic one."

"Not realistic?"

Inuyasha sat forwards, craning his neck to look down over his left thigh at the top of Kaede's head far below him.

"What d'you mean, "not realistic"?" he asked.

"Kagome has gone back to her own time, Inuyasha," Kaede replied.

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha scoffed. "What's the matter, has she got another stupid "test" to do?"

"I don't know about that," Kaede replied. "But I do wonder about her ability to return here, now that the sacred jewel has been destroyed."

"What?!"

Inuyasha dropped to the ground, standing directly in front of Kaede.

"What are you saying?" he asked. "Are you trying to tell me that Kagome has gone home for good this time?"

"It's possible," Kaede replied.

"No way!" Inuyasha retorted, folding his arms.

"There are two reasons I believe we may not see Kagome ever again," Kaede said calmly. "First of all, I don't know if she will be able to pass through the well again. And secondly, I don't know if she would want to. She has no reason to come here any more. She completed the Shikon Jewel, and now that it no longer exists, she doesn't even have the obligation of watching over it to bring her back here."

"What are you trying to say, old woman?"

"I only came here to remove that burden from ye."

"What burden?"

Kaede reached up both hands and lifted the beads from around Inuyasha's neck up over his head.

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha asked, watching her with wide eyes as she stuffed the beads that had plagued his life for last year into her haori.

"Without Kagome here, there is no need for those any more," she explained, before turning her back on him and walking back towards the village.

"Hey, where are you going?" Inuyasha demanded.

But Kaede did not answer him, instead walking on slowly and in silence.

"I'm not the one with a problem here!" he yelled after her. "She should be apologising to me!"

Inuyasha's anger slowly faded as Kaede disappeared from his sight.

"Damn…" he muttered under his breath. "What if Kagome can't ever come back?"

* * *

"Kagome Higurashi!"

"Huh?"

Kagome blinked the vestiges of sleep from her eyes, turning her head to find a shadow standing over her.

"Falling asleep in class?" her teacher barked down at her.

Kagome groaned quietly. She could not even remember closing her eyes; but then again, she reminded herself, she had not slept the last two nights, and she had left the feudal era only to go straight into school.

"I suppose you have narcolepsy now?" her teacher drawled sarcastically, bringing a chorus of laughter from the others around her.

"I'm sorry," Kagome whispered, her face reddening in shame.

"It's no wonder you failed your last two tests, Kagome," he teacher continued. "I was going to wait until after class to tell you this, but since you don't seem to care about school anyway, I might as well tell you now, in front of all your peers. You're going to have to repeat a year, Kagome."

Kagome froze, her insides twisting into a knot.

"Repeat a year?" she echoed faintly. "But I…"

"I think you should go home now, Kagome," her teacher said with a sigh. "Get some sleep and come and see me before class tomorrow morning. I think we should arrange extra classes for you. Even though you're repeating a year, if your attendance doesn't improve, you will fail again."

Kagome slowly nodded her head, gathering up her books and her bag.

"Kagome…" Eri whispered as she walked past her.

Kagome ignored everyone around her, leaving the classroom and quietly closing the door behind herself. As she walked down the corridor, she kept hold of her bag at her side, not even bothering to pull it over her shoulder.

'I can't repeat a year,' she thought to herself as she walked. 'Although I don't suppose I have any choice. I'll never get anywhere with that on my record, though. And regardless of what I do, I'm going to have to stay home a lot more and study harder. Maybe I should just stay here and forget all about the feudal era and Inuyasha. I don't even know if the well will work again. Maybe now that I'm back in my own time, it's done its job.'

Kagome stepped outside, lifting her chin towards the sky as the wind gently brushed against her skin.

"Oh Inuyasha…" she whispered. "I wonder what you're doing right now?"

* * *

"Aren't you going to go after Kagome, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha lifted his head, narrowing his eyes at Shippo, who had appeared at his side, perched on the lip of the old well.

"What's it to you, you little pest?" Inuyasha growled at him.

"We miss Kagome," Soten said with a sigh, appearing at Inuyasha's other side, resting her elbows on the wall of the well opposite Shippo and looking down into its murky depths.

"You mean you miss all the crap she takes back for you from her strange era," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Maybe she found a nice new boyfriend in her own time," Koru suggested, hovering over the centre of the well.

"What?" Inuyasha echoed, looking up at the dragon imp.

"One that isn't a two-timer like you, Inuyasha," Koru added as their eyes met.

"What would you know, you little worm?" Inuyasha roared, waving a fist at Koru.

"I know that only a stupid person wouldn't go after Kagome," Koru suggested, before scooting out of Inuyasha's reach.

"And Inuyasha is pretty stupid…" Soten muttered.

"Absolutely," Shippo quietly agreed.

"Get out of here, all of you!" Inuyasha yelled, standing abruptly.

Inuyasha watched the three young demons until they were out of sight. He then took one final glance around to ensure that he was indeed alone and not being watched, before leaping into the well.

"She better apologise to me, damn it!" he grumbled as he was swallowed by the soft blue light that signified his passing through time.

A few seconds later, the light faded again, and Inuyasha's senses told him he was no longer in his own era, the unusual scents of Kagome's time floating down to him. He was silently glad that he had successfully managed to travel back: hopefully this meant that Kagome could return with him.

But, Inuyasha thought to himself, even if neither of them could go back to his time, it would not matter. At least now they were together.

Inuyasha leapt out of the well, starting towards Kagome's house only to stop as something caught his eye. Turning his head slowly, Inuyasha noticed for the first time what stood before him. He slowly approached it, torn between wondering why he had never noticed it before and the stinging sensation he felt as he looked upon it.

The old tree Kikyo had pinned him to so long ago still stood in Kagome's era, still bearing the scar of broken bark where Kikyo's arrow had burst into its trunk. Subconsciously touching a hand to the point on his shoulder where the arrow had penetrated his flesh, Inuyasha found himself falling into a trance as he stared at the scar on the old tree.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha stiffened, mentally cursing himself for letting his guard down because of the tree and failing to notice the approach of another.

"You made it through the well?"

Inuyasha turned his head slightly as Kagome walked up to his side. She quickly turned her head towards the tree as he looked at her, avoiding his eyes.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "I made it through the well."

"I don't have any jewel shards any more, I wonder why you bothered coming here," Kagome said, her voice quiet and almost emotionless, bar the slight tang of bitterness.

"I know you don't have any jewel shards, stupid," Inuyasha grumbled. "Kikyo completed the Shikon Jewel and then gave her life for me. Again."

"Of course," Kagome sighed. "Kikyo is still the first thought in your mind."

"That's not true, damn it," Inuyasha growled. "You just don't understand."

"Maybe not. But you've never explained it to me. You never tell me how you feel, or what you're thinking."

"I don't have time for stuff like that!"

"Well stuff like that happens to be very important to me, okay?"

Inuyasha started, his eyes widening as he looked down at Kagome. She had her head lowered, and he could not see her face for her hair; but he could smell the saltiness of tears forming in her eyes.

"You wanna know how I feel and what I think?" he asked gruffly.

"Yes, I do," Kagome replied, without lifting her head.

"Fine," Inuyasha said tightly. "I feel that Kikyo had a pure soul, and that she lived an honest and selfless life, and yet still she died at the hands of evil like Naraku. Twice. She was the first person – apart from my mother, obviously – to look beyond what I am to see who I am. I did love her."

Inuyasha glanced down at Kagome and saw her clench her hands into fists as her sides, her shoulders trembling slightly as the smell of her tears grew stronger.

"But even though she loved my soul, she didn't love me," Inuyasha continued, looking back at the tree again. "She wanted me to become human. It was the only way she would let me be with her. I never felt happy being what I was anyway, it made no difference to me whether I became all demon or all human at that point. It wasn't until I met you, Kagome, that I started to really understand and accept what I am. I've learned that I can be as strong as the demon I wanted to be and have the companionship I thought only a human could have."

Kagome lifted her head slightly, peeking up at Inuyasha through a curtain of black hair.

"I don't always understand what I feel for you Kagome, but I do know what it is," he added quietly.

"Inuyasha…" she whispered.

Inuyasha turned his head sharply towards her as he felt the tips of her fingers touch his elbow.

"I love you, Inuyasha," she said shakily, meeting his eyes nervously, but holding his gaze determinedly. "I always have. And I always will."

"Yeah?" he mumbled, his eyebrows inching upwards. "Well um… I… Uh…"

"I don't know what to do now, Inuyasha," Kagome confessed. "But since the well still works, I think I'd like to stay in the feudal era with you and Sango and Miroku and the others. I could still visit home when I got lonely, and I could still bring back potato chips for you, and candies for Shippo… But I won't go back if you don't want me there."

"Of course I… I want…"

"I need to know exactly where I stand with you, Inuyasha. Is there a place in your heart for me?"

"A place in my heart?"

Inuyasha felt his heart twinge, and then tug downwards as he saw a tear escape one of Kagome's eyes, slipping over the curve of her cheek. Before he could even think of what he was doing, he reached out a hand towards her, wiping away the tear with his thumb. Inuyasha paused, inhaling sharply through his nostrils, his thumb still touching Kagome's cheek, his hand still hovering by her face. He felt his cheeks grow a little warm, but did his best to ignore it, gulping audibly as his throat become uncomfortably tight.

"A p-place in my heart?" he repeated slowly.

Kagome nodded, reaching up a hand to touch his hand that lingered by her face.

"Kagome, I…" he began slowly.

Inuyasha dropped his eyes to the ground as he fought to find the words he sought to explain himself. Kagome curled her fingers around his hand, her grip drawing his attention back to her face. He gasped softly as he saw a tear escape from each of her eyes.

"Kagome, it's not like there is a place for you in my heart," he said decisively, wincing as he saw Kagome's face distort with hurt, fresh tears spilling over her cheeks. "Because my heart – all of my heart – it belongs to you. You've shown me a… A… A love that I never thought possible. You love me just the way I am. You don't care if I'm not all demon or all human. Because you love me. And Kagome, since you obviously don't already know, I love you too."

Kagome let out a shuddered gasp, before sobbing softly.

"I thought you'd be happy…" Inuyasha grumbled.

"I am!" Kagome wailed, throwing her arms around her neck.

"You don't look it!" Inuyasha drawled, touching his hands to her back and holding her gently against his self.

"That was just so… So…" Kagome whimpered into his shoulder.

"Did I create a good atmosphere?" Inuyasha asked, quirking an eyebrow sarcastically.

Kagome pulled back from him, holding him as arm's length.

"Yes!" she gushed, causing Inuyasha's face to twist in shock. "You created a perfect atmosphere! And you haven't even ruined it yet!"

"Hey!" Inuyasha grunted. "What do you mean, I haven't ruined it "yet"?"

"Well…" Kagome began, avoiding his eyes.

"Hey, you're the one ruining things here!"

"I was just so–"

"Hey, before you completely ruin my atmosphere, can you let me finish?"

"Finish?"

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, searching his eyes in confusion. She made a small noise of surprise in the back of her throat as Inuyasha leaned towards her, rapidly closing the gap between them and pressing his lips against hers. Her eyes widened at the contact, but after just a few seconds, she slowly allowed her eyelids to flutter shut, tilting her chin upwards and pressing her lips to his, sealing their kiss.

Inuyasha slowly slid his hands around Kagome's waist to her back, gently pulling her body closer to his. Kagome rested one hand on his shoulder, moving the other around the back of his neck, curling her fingers into his hair. For the first time since the day of her fifteenth birthday when she had first fallen into the well, Kagome finally knew why she had been allowed to travel between the ages.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** As the gang set about their new, peaceful lives, Kirara does some soul-searching and, after seeing yet another part of Midoriko's message come true, she realises what her future is and what she must do next. **Chapter 31 – Kirara's Revelation**.


	31. Kirara's Revelation

**Recap:** Kagome discovered that she can still travel back and forth in time through the well, but she decided to live in the feudal era, only visiting home occasionally.

* * *

 **Chapter 31 – Kirara's Revelation**

Kirara smiled softly as she watched Sango cuddle closer to Miroku. The two were sat on the grassy hillside, watching the sunset. Since Naraku's defeat, Sango and Miroku had been inseparable, and Kirara knew it would not be long before they were married. Of course, Kirara was happy that both her friends were happy, and that they were happy with each other; but another girl getting married and becoming a wife and mother meant only one thing for Kirara.

It was time to move on.

Kirara sighed sadly at the thought, but forced a smile as she saw Kohaku running along the riverbank, smiling and laughing. Kirara was certain that she no longer held an important role in Sango's life, but at least Kohaku still needed her. He was past twelve, and he had missed a year's training being under Naraku's control. He needed Kirara, and he would be glad of her help. Just like Sango, he would appreciate that she was someone who had known him for most of his life and understood what he had been through.

But something still did not seem right in Kirara's heart.

Kirara's smile faded as she watched Kohaku chase Shippo around a tree, before running off alongside him. They looked just as they had in her dream. Midoriko had shown her Naraku in his truest form, which she had witnessed at their final showdown. She had shown Kirara Momiji the red priestess and Botan the white priestess, whom Kirara had already had dealings with when she had hired their services to repay her debt to Sesshomaru. And now she could see Kohaku playing with Shippo freely, meaning that the only one part of Midoriko's message that had yet to come true was the very last part.

Kirara still had her human form.

'The spell isn't broken, I just know it,' Kirara thought miserably. 'And now that my function as the friend that Sango wished for is almost complete, no doubt I will soon be bound into the form of a little cat again.'

Kirara hung her head, sighing softly.

'What do I have to do to break the spell completely?' she wondered. 'Can it ever be broken completely?'

Kirara gasped louder than she intended as an alarmingly clear image of Sesshomaru's face flashed into her mind.

'No,' she silently told herself. 'He is in love with Kagura. I saw him rescue her with the Tenseiga. He held onto her heart. And he was so cold with me when he was checking my wounds that night.'

Kirara touched a hand to her midsection, frowning in thought.

'At the end of the battle with Naraku, both Sesshomaru and Kagura had left,' she thought. 'They obviously left together. He has taken her as his now. It would be foolish to think otherwise. And after all, he is a dog demon and I am a cat demon. And the truth about cats and dogs is…'

Kirara's thoughts slowly came to a halt for two reasons: first of all, she could not think of a definite answer to the riddles in her mind, and secondly, she could sense Kagome.

"Kagome's back!" Shippo yelled.

Kirara spun around, breaking into a smile as she saw Inuyasha and Kagome walking towards her, hand in hand.

"I'm proud of you, Inuyasha!" Miroku called to him.

"Shut it, Miroku!" Inuyasha snapped back.

Miroku laughed, shaking his head at Inuyasha's attitude. Miroku, Kirara noted, had become even more laid back than usual since the removal of the curse of the wind tunnel.

"And we didn't bring any crap for you kids, so back off already!" Inuyasha added, scowling at Shippo, Soten, Kohaku and Koru as they ran towards Kagome.

Kagome sighed, rolling her eyes at Inuyasha. She began greeting the kids, smiling to herself as Inuyasha muttered inaudible complaints under his breath at her side.

"Good boy, Inuyasha," Kirara greeted him, ruffling his hair.

"Stop treating me like a dog!" he snapped, swatting her hand away.

"You did the right thing, Inuyasha," Sango said softly.

"Keh!" Inuyasha grunted, slipping his arms into the sleeves of his haori and tightening his face.

"Are you staying here with us forever, Kagome?" Shippo asked.

"Yes Shippo," she replied. "I'll still go home sometimes to visit my family and bring back supplies, but apart from that, I'll be living here with you all."

"What about your tests, Kagome?" Soten asked.

"I've decided to leave school," Kagome replied. "There's no need to keep going if I'm going to live here."

Kirara took a step back, tilting her head to one side as she watched the others interact with each other. Now that Kagome was back to stay, it looked like the perfect ending for all her friends.

"Kohaku, how are you feeling?" Kagome asked, smiling warmly at Kohaku.

"Very well, thank you," he replied politely.

"Are you going to continue as a demon-slayer like your big sister?" Kagome asked him.

"Oh yes," he replied, nodding eagerly. "I want to train with a fire-cat demon, just like Sango did."

The group all turned to Kirara, who smiled awkwardly.

"Kirara can still transform into her flying fire-cat form, Kohaku," Sango hurriedly explained. "And I'm sure she'll transform and train with you just like she did with me. Right Kirara?"

"Right," Kirara agreed, nodding her head.

Kohaku paled as he slowly ran his eyes over Kirara.

"But you're a girl now," he said quietly. "I can't sit on your back any more."

"Of course you can!" Kirara said quickly. "I'll transform for you!"

"Oh…"

Kohaku hung his head, looking disappointed. Kirara cringed inwardly at the look on his face.

'He's not happy,' she thought to herself. 'He doesn't like me this way. What am I going to do?'

"Kaede is making dinner for us all," Sango said eventually, breaking the silence. "And after that, I think we should all get some rest."

"Sounds good to me!" Kagome agreed, smiling amiably. "I'm exhausted! I fell asleep in class!"

As the conversation between Sango, Miroku, Kagome and Inuyasha built up again, Kohaku, Shippo, Soten and Koru began to wander off again to continue their games. Kirara watched them go, her demon ears picking up more of their conversation than she cared to hear.

"I always wanted my own cat," Kohaku muttered forlornly.

"I liked playing games with Kirara when she was a cat," Shippo added. "I can't play those games now that she's a woman."

"She's a strange woman though," Soten said thoughtfully. "She asked me to show her how to use chopsticks. I tried to show her, but she kept breaking them or dropping her food."

"She was never clumsy when she was a cat," Kohaku mused.

Kirara sighed, that odd sinking feeling weighing down her stomach again. The thought of sitting through another meal where she would be forced to eat like a savage or be insulted for her severe lack of ability to manoeuvre a pair of chopsticks only made her feel worse, and so she slowly turned her back on the others, and slunk out of the village, heading out into the forest.

Kirara found her way to a part of the forest where the thick undergrowth indicated that it was rarely frequented by people and she sought out one of the largest trees, scaling her way up it to the highest branch that would comfortably support her weight. Kirara then sprawled out along the length of the branch, lying on her stomach and resting her head on her hands. Kirara was ready to fall asleep where she lay, but she could sense something below her, a strong demonic aura lurking in the shadows of the trees.

Kirara lazily lifted her head, peering down towards the direction the aura appeared to be emanating from. A moment later, a figure dressed in red and white walked up to the base of the tree Kirara was perched in.

'Oh no,' Kirara thought, groaning inwardly. 'I don't have the energy or the will to deal with this right now. I might as well just submit to my fate in silence.'

"You always seemed like a playful sort of character to me," a voice called up to her. "You don't look so playful right now. In fact, you look awful."

"Thank you," Kirara sarcastically called back.

"Instead of wallowing in your own pathetic self pity, why not do something? You were always quick to act and give your opinion before, what's changed now?"

Kirara growled, narrowing her eyes at the figure below her.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Kirara called down. "You're a long way from your palace in the Western Lands."

Kirara stiffened as her rebuttal was met with loud, condescending laughter.

"Stupid cat."

Kirara growled again, her demon spirit stirring in spite of her own personal wishes.

"What do you want with me, Kagura?" she yelled impatiently.

"Nothing," Kagura lightly replied. "I was just… Curious to see what you were doing now that Naraku is gone."

"Well, now that you have seen what I am doing, would you mind leaving?" Kirara sneered.

"Have it your way," Kagura sighed, plucking the feather from her hair. "Give my regards to Inuyasha and the rest of your friends."

Kirara grumbled curses under breath as she watched Kagura float away on the currents of the wind. Once Kagura was out of sight, Kirara rested her head again, her mind moving to just one thought as she began to drift off to sleep: why had Kagura travelled so far to see her for no apparent reason?

* * *

Kirara awoke as the sun twinkled through the trees at her, groaning as she realised that she had overslept considerably. Deep down, she knew why she had not woken sooner. As she had been falling asleep the night before, an idea had occurred to Kirara, and, throughout a dream-filled sleep, she had realised that the idea was something she would have to action, no matter how much she dreaded the thought of doing so.

Kirara had realised what the final part of Midoriko's message meant. She had seen herself as a small cat for a reason. It was because she would have to become one again, whether she wanted to or not. Her purpose was to serve and fight with those she loved, and Kohaku wanted her to be a cat again. And she had no real reason to stay in a human form, other than to fulfil her own selfish desires.

And so, despite the feeling of dread that filled her heart, Kirara decided to seek assistance having the spell cast upon her once more.

Yawning and stretching, Kirara almost fell out of the tree, a small voice inside her head laughing at her clumsiness and telling her that it was shameful, and just one more reason why she needed to have the spell redone. Making her way back down to the ground, Kirara walked back to the village at a much slower pace than she normally moved at. After all, she thought miserably, this would likely be the last time she walked on two legs – possibly the last time ever.

Back in the village, Kirara could hear Shippo, Soten and Kohaku shouting and laughing, but could not see them. Looking around, she could not see any signs of Sango and Miroku or Inuyasha and Kagome; but she decided that it was probably for the best if she did not see any of them until after she had completed her mission and become a cat once more.

"Where have you been? You look a mess."

Kirara mewed in alarm, stumbling to a halt and clasping a hand to her chest.

"Koru!" she yelped as the little red dragon floated into her line of vision.

"Where are you going?" Koru asked ignoring the glare he was getting from the fire-cat demon.

"None of your business," Kirara growled, straightening herself and continuing on towards Kaede's hut.

"We ate all the food if you're looking for breakfast!" Koru called after her.

Kirara shook her head, trying her best to ignore the little imp. His sudden appearance had at least served as a temporary distraction from her depressive state of mind, and before she could refocus her thoughts fully, she was already inside Kaede's hut.

"Priestess Kaede," she said, bowing politely in greeting. "I need your help."

"Take a seat, child," Kaede replied.

Kirara crossed the room, sitting down across the cooking pot from Kaede, facing the old priestess.

"It's about the spell," Kirara began.

"I already told ye child, I have no way of confirming if the spell has been undone fully," Kaede pointed out. "Nor can I undo it or redo it."

"Oh," Kirara said softly, hanging her head.

"Ye asked me before about undoing the spell completely," Kaede added.

"But I don't want you to undo it any more," Kirara replied. "I want you to redo it."

"And I already told ye, I can't redo it either. Although I do wonder why ye would want the spell redone."

"It's for the best."

"Ye seem doubtful. Enter not lightly into something so severe, child."

"I know what I'm doing! If you can't help me, do you know of anyone who can?"

"I can only give ye the same answer as I did before. Ye need the help of Priestesses Momiji and Botan."

Kirara paused, another part of Midoriko's puzzle falling into place. This was the real reason why she had seen the red and white priestesses. They were to be the ones to turn her back into a cat. And so the riddle was, at last, entirely solved.

"Thank you," she said softly, rising to her feet once more.

"Kirara, just one more thing, before ye go," Kaede called after her.

Kirara paused by the doorway, her hand holding open the bamboo flap.

"Yes?" she said without turning round.

"I understand if ye don't wish to discuss this with me, but I must advise ye to seriously examine what lies in your heart before ye go ahead with this," Kaede warned her. "I sense ye are making a rash decision, based on emotion over logic. Think about it. And don't act before ye talk to your friends first."

Kirara waited a moment longer until she was sure Kaede had finished talking. She then stepped out of the hut, allowing the bamboo flap to fall back behind her. She had already made up her mind, and there was no way she was going to discuss any part of her plans with the others. In a burst of flames, Kirara transformed into her fire-cat form and took off towards the temple where she knew she would find Momiji and Botan.

* * *

"Demon begone!" Botan yelled, aiming two sutras at Kirara as she approached.

"Wait, Botan!" Momiji cried, grabbing Botan's wrist to stop her. "This is the same demon we met before. You remember, the emotionally confused cat demon?"

"Oh…"

Kirara's face twitched at the way she had been referred to, but she continued towards the two young priestesses regardless.

"What do you want, Kirara?" Momiji asked her as she stopped before them.

"Let me guess why she is here!" Botan squealed, reaching a hand towards Kirara.

"No, please, not that again," Kirara said, leaning away from her. "Let me just tell you why I am here. I wish for Priestess Midoriko's spell to be redone."

"What?" Botan echoed, snatching back her hand.

"You wish to become a little cat again?" Momiji asked.

"Yes," Kirara confirmed, nodding her head once.

"Why?" Botan blurted out, eying Kirara over as though she had gone mad.

Kirara groaned.

"It's my destiny," she simply replied.

"How do you know it's your destiny?" Momiji asked her sceptically.

"Priestess Midoriko showed me in a dream that it was to be my destiny," Kirara patiently replied.

"And she told you to ask us to redo the spell?" Botan asked.

"Sort of," Kirara replied.

"I'm not really sure that this is the right thing to do," Momiji said frankly.

"Please," Kirara said. "I don't know if the spell has been fully undone, but I need it to be redone. And soon."

"If the spell hasn't been fully undone, there won't be anything we can do," Botan pointed out.

"I suppose first of all, we need to establish if the spell has been fully undone or not," Momiji reasoned.

"And then we would need to work on redoing the spell," Botan said.

"Redoing the spell will not be possible," Momiji said.

"Not possible?" Kirara echoed. "But why not? If the spell has been fully undone, why can't you redo it?"

"We can quite easily turn you back into a little cat," Momiji began slowly. "But we can't make the spell conditional, like Priestess Midoriko did. We're not powerful enough to cast such a spell."

"What do you mean?" Kirara asked slowly. "About the spell being "conditional", I mean?"

"Ah," Botan said, nodding her head as she studied Momiji's concerned expression. "If we do turn you into a small cat, the transformation would be permanent," she explained, turning to Kirara.

"There would be no way of ever reversing the spell," Momiji added.

"Unless I came back to you and you undid it, right?" Kirara asked.

"No," Momiji replied, shaking her head. "There would be no way of undoing it. Ever. By anyone."

"Oh…"

"Is this still what you want?" Botan asked.

"Yes," Kirara replied, trying to look determined despite the sickening feeling that was brewing within her very being.

"We will need time to work on this spell," Momiji said.

"And we will need time to establish whether or not Priestess Midoriko's spell has been fully undone," Botan added.

"And you will need time to think about this," Momiji said.

"I don't need time to think about this," Kirara denied. "I have already given you my word. Cast the spell as soon as you can please."

"It will take until nightfall to work on the spell," Momiji replied.

"And it will take until the following morning to figure out whether or not Priestess Midoriko's spell has been undone," Botan said.

"Then I shall wait here until sunrise tomorrow," Kirara said decisively. "And then you will cast the spell."

"You will return tomorrow night," Momiji told her.

"Tomorrow night?" Kirara repeated. "Why tomorrow night if the spell will be ready by tomorrow morning?"

"Because you will use today, tonight and tomorrow to think about your decision," Momiji stubbornly replied. "I won't cast the spell if I think you are doubtful."

"I'm not doubtful," Kirara muttered.

"Yes you are," Botan argued. "You must be absolutely certain that this is what you want before we continue."

"I am certain!" Kirara snapped irritably.

"Return tomorrow night," Momiji said firmly. "Give us your answer then."

Kirara growled in frustration, watching as the two priestesses walked back through the gates into their temple. As the gates banged shut behind them, Kirara let out a loud, long sigh, her muscles tensing as she sensed two demonic auras approaching her from behind. Spinning around, Kirara gasped at what she saw, her mind momentarily abandoning all logic at the sight of Ah-Un the two-headed dragon demon walking out of the shadows of the nearby forest.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" she whispered.

Despite a small part of her telling her that the second demonic aura could not possible be that of Sesshomaru, Kirara only let go of the idea that it was him as the light fell across Ah-Un's back, revealing Sesshomaru's pesky little toad imp servant Jaken.

"Oh," Kirara groaned, her top lip curling in disgust. "It's you again. What do you want?"

Jaken remained silent, his eyes fixed on Kirara as Ah-Un slowly walked towards her. Kirara's curiosity grew as he drew nearer as to why he was coming to her – it almost seemed as though he had been looking for her, as though he had sought her out for some specific reason. After her last encounter with Jaken, Kirara was not too keen to converse with the little toad at any great length again, but she did want to ask about Sesshomaru. No-one had mentioned him after Naraku's defeat, and she had held a lingering concern that he may have been badly hurt during the battle.

Kirara mentally kicked herself for worrying so much about someone who no longer even gave her a second thought.

'He hates me, so why should I even care?' she asked herself silently. 'And yet I do care. I care more than I should. He hates me, and I always hated him before, why should I care how he is, how he feels or what he thinks? And yet… I can't stop thinking about him. And I can't bear to think of him alive in this world and thinking ill of me. I am such a fool. The sooner I have this spell redone, the better. And this time, it will be permanent. No more of these strange emotions to worry about.'

"What are you doing here?"

Kirara turned to Jaken as he slid off of Ah-Un's back.

"What am I doing here?" she repeated, screwing up her face at him in confusion . "What are you doing here?"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Jaken has something important to say to Kirara and Sesshomaru, but it seems that neither want to listen to his sage wisdom, and neither take his advice. **Chapter 32 – Jaken's Confession**.


	32. Jaken's Confession

**Recap:** Kirara decided that Midoriko's spell was broken too soon, and asked Kaede to redo the curse; but Kaede advised her to visit Momiji and Botan again; and so the third part of Midoriko's message was realised.

* * *

 **Chapter 32 – Jaken's Confession**

"What are you doing here?"

Kirara turned to Jaken as he slid off of Ah-Un's back.

"What am I doing here?" she repeated, screwing up her face at him in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I was following you."

Kirara was momentarily stunned. Whilst she had suspected that Jaken probably had been following her, she had never expected him to admit to it, least of all so openly and easily.

"You were following me?" she repeated. "May I ask why?"

"I wanted to see what you were planning to do," Jaken plainly replied.

"It's none your business what I do, toad," Kirara stiffly replied.

"Yes it is," Jaken said, again causing Kirara to start in surprise at his words.

"No it isn't!" Kirara recovered, scowling at him indignantly.

"My only concerns are for my master's welfare, and right now you are adversely affecting his wellbeing," Jaken replied.

Kirara again found herself at a loss. Again she wondered if it was her lack of conversation skills or Jaken's insistence upon talking in riddles that was the reason for her recurring confusion and general lack of understanding.

"What are you talking about now, Jaken?" she asked moodily, choosing to use his name in the hope that it would make him at least a little more agreeable.

"Did you come here to have yourself turned into a little cat again?" Jaken asked her.

"I asked you a question," Kirara returned.

"As did I. Why are you here?"

"I asked you first."

"I asked you what you were doing here before you even said a single word. Are you here to have the spell redone or not?"

"Alright then yes. Yes I am. But that's no concern of yours."

"Yes it is, you stupid girl. I won't allow you to carry out your ridiculous plans. You will come with me now."

Kirara rolled her eyes, growling roughly. Apparently Sesshomaru's commanding manner of speech had rubbed off somewhat onto his servant.

"You can't order me around like that," she pointed out. "And you can't stop me carrying out any plans that I may have."

"You will come with me now!" Jaken shouted, holding up his staff.

Kirara had not been expecting him to become violent, least of all so suddenly, and she took a little too long to leap out of harm's way as Jaken's staff spat out a cyclone of flames at her. Kirara hissed, her eyes turning red as she looked down at the singed ends of her hair at her right side.

"If it's a fight you want, why didn't you just say so from the start?" she growled, rounding on the little toad imp.

"You must come with me," Jaken insisted.

"Why?" Kirara asked.

"Because… Um…"

Kirara's eyes faded back to green, a malicious smirk slowly spreading across her face.

"Oh, I see!" she said slowly. "You need my help with something, that's why you're here!"

Jaken turned his head to one side, fidgeting awkwardly.

"You must have done something terrible," Kirara continued, revelling in the agonies she was causing the little toad. "Something so bad that your master will most likely kill you by the most painful and drawn-out method that he can think of. So… What have you done, Jaken?"

"It's all your fault!" Jaken shouted, pointing a bony finger at Kirara.

"My fault?" Kirara echoed. "Then I wonder why you are asking me for my help…"

Kirara started to walk towards the gates of the temple again, suppressing a grin as Jaken ran in front of her, blocking her path back to the two priestesses.

"Wait!" he wailed. "You can't go in there!"

"And why not?" Kirara asked, bending over him.

"Because…" Jaken began awkwardly. "Because they told you to come back tomorrow night."

"You were spying on me the whole time?" Kirara yelped.

But Jaken did not answer Kirara he merely narrowed his eyes in a way that suggested that she was the one who ought to be ashamed of her behaviour.

"What do you want with me?" Kirara demanded.

"I want my master to stop acting so strangely," Jaken replied. "And he has been acting very strangely ever since you got that new body of yours!"

"Well then you should both be glad to know that I won't have this body for very much longer!"

"It is a great honour for you that the mighty Lord Sesshomaru even gives you a second thought, you ungrateful cat!"

"Oh… I understand now! I know exactly why you're here!"

"You-you do?"

"Yes I do. Kagura doesn't like Rin, and Lord Sesshomaru seeks to exploit my devotion to humans in need! He wants me to be his nursemaid! He wants me to take care of Rin so that he is free to… To… No. Soon I will lose my human form forever. And even if I were to keep this body, there is no way in hell that I would even so much as consider becoming Lord Sesshomaru's slave!"

"If you listened half as much as you spoke, you wouldn't be such a terribly ignorant creature!"

"Keep talking to me like that and you will find yourself learning to fly the hard way!"

"I did not come here on my master's orders!"

Kirara paused, her anger subsiding at Jaken's words. The last time he had defied his master's orders to talk to her, it had been to try to force her to agree never to accept Sesshomaru as her mate; but this time, she could see no reason why the little toad would want to defy his much-worshipped lord.

"I owe Lord Sesshomaru my life," Jaken continued. "He saved me and my men from certain death long ago, and I have devoted my life to his service ever since that day. I have always tried to make sure that he gets whatever he wants or needs. And, even though it makes me sick to think of it, I believe that he wants you."

"He wants me…" Kirara said slowly, pointing at herself. "To be one of his servants?"

"No, you foolish girl!"

Jaken swung his staff at Kirara's head, but she ducked out of harm's way, watching anxiously as the two heads of the staff swung over the top of her.

"He wants you for his mate!" Jaken snapped, snatching back his staff and holding it against his chest possessively.

"He wants me for his…" Kirara muttered, her brow furrowing. "I'm confused," she confessed, looking into Jaken's eyes. "Not so very long ago, you were trying to make me promise never to accept Lord Sesshomaru's offers to be his mate, and now you've come here to take me back to his castle to be his… What are you scheming, you slimy little toad? Lord Sesshomaru took Kagura as his mate!"

"No he didn't."

"Yes he did."

"No he didn't."

"Yes he did! I saw him! He saved her life! He saved her from Koga, he revived her with the Tenseiga and he took her heart for his own!"

Jaken arched his eyebrows at Kirara as she acted out all of the things she spoke of with exaggerated, dramatic hand motions.

"He saved her life to repay his debt to her, nothing more," Jaken flatly replied.

"His debt to her?" Kirara echoed.

"Kagura had Lord Sesshomaru's arm restored by these two priestesses," Jaken explained.

"What?" Kirara echoed, turning to look back at Momiji and Botan's temple as Jaken pointed at it. "No, that's not right!"

"What?" Jaken mumbled, frowning at Kirara sceptically.

"I was the one who asked Priestesses Momiji and Botan to restore Lord Sesshomaru's arm! I had to do it! He saved my life from Kagura and the Wind Scar, I was indebted to him, and I couldn't bear it! I had his arm restored as a way of repaying my debt to him! You mean that he thought that Kagura was the one who…? So all this time he still thinks that I am indebted to him?"

Kirara mewed in frustration, dropping down into a sitting position, her legs crossed loosely in front of her. The last thing she wanted was to return to being a cat whilst Sesshomaru still thought that she was indebted to him. While she still had her voice, she decided, she really ought to visit him and explain the finer details of the situation in full. Kirara slowly turned her head towards Jaken, narrowing her eyes at him and Ah-Un thoughtfully.

"Lord Sesshomaru was just repaying a debt that he thought he owed to Kagura?" she asked.

"Yes," Jaken confirmed, nodding his head.

"He didn't take Kagura as his mate?"

"No."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, and a good thing it is too! I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed serving that ungrateful witch!"

Kirara nodded slowly, her mind processing all this new information carefully. She wanted Sesshomaru to know that she was not indebted to him as he no doubt thought that she still was, but at the same time, she did not really wish to see him again in her human form. Kirara could dismiss all the doubts in her mind about going ahead with having the spell redone except the most selfish doubt of all: a small part of her still wanted to remain in her human form and become Sesshomaru's mate.

"So you will return with me to my Lord's castle?" Jaken asked.

Kirara began to chew on her lower lip, her eyes darting between the temple and Ah-Un as she weighed up her options.

"You came here of your own accord?" she asked slowly, moving her eyes to Jaken again.

"That's right," he agreed, shuddering slightly. "Although it brings me no pleasure!"

"So your opinion that Lord Sesshomaru wishes to take me for his mate is only that: your opinion," Kirara concluded. "It is not a fact."

"I know my master better than anyone!" Jaken argued.

"I don't honestly believe that your master ever wants to set eyes on me again," Kirara said slowly.

"You are refusing to come with me?"

"Yes."

"So then what will you do?"

"I am going to sit here and wait."

Jaken looked up at the sky, tilting his head to one side thoughtfully.

"It is nearing night, but you still have all day tomorrow before those priestesses can redo the spell for you," he pointed out.

"I know that," Kirara patiently replied. "And I am going to sit right here and wait until then."

Kirara shuffled around until she had her back turned to Jaken, relaxing muscles she had not even known she had tensed as she heard him climb back onto Ah-Un behind her and take to the air. After a few seconds has passed and Kirara felt she could safely do so without being seen, she turned to watch Jaken and Ah-Un fly away over the treetops.

"He didn't take Kagura…" she mused aloud.

Kirara's mind slowed, and a small feeling of joy began to creep up inside of her. She quickly dismissed it, shrugging her shoulders indifferently and turning back to face the temple. She would just sit there and wait until nightfall the following day, and then have the spell redone.

* * *

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes suspiciously. It was not like Jaken to be so tolerant of Rin's exuberance, and yet as he watched them, Jaken was happily helping her groom Ah-Un's manes. Not only was Jaken's behaviour that morning uncharacteristic, but the little toad had been conspicuous by his absence the night before. Although Sesshomaru would never admit to being curious about anything that the pesky little imp did, he decided that he simply had to find out exactly what Jaken had been up to and why he was now acting so out of character.

Sesshomaru stood up, slowly walking in the general direction of his ward, his servant and his steed. As he neared them, he altered his path slightly, walking almost parallel to where they played, stopping as he drew level with them. Having managed to successfully place himself downwind of the trio, Sesshomaru lifted his chin slightly, silently and almost motionlessly sniffing at the air as the breeze carried their scents to his nose.

At first, he could not detect anything unusual; but then the distinct scent of pine reached him. As there were no pine trees anywhere near his castle, this was, in his mind, a fair indication that Jaken had indeed left the castle grounds the night before. Otherwise, however, Sesshomaru could not detect anything else out of the ordinary. It was not like Jaken to wander from the protection of his barrier around the castle grounds without his orders to do so, but, given Jaken's tendency to share his every thought with Sesshomaru whether he wished to hear it or not, Sesshomaru was in no doubt that he would soon learn the finer details of where his servant had been and why.

Sesshomaru turned back towards his castle, tilting his head slightly as he considered what he should do next. With Naraku gone, the weaker demons that had been hiding from him would resurface once more, and that would mean that Sesshomaru would need to be more vigilant in guarding his lands. His father had always fought off any vagrant demons in the neighbourhood to protect the humans he was so fond of. Sesshomaru also fought off the demons to preserve the lives of the humans in the neighbouring villages, although his motives were entirely different to those of his father's. Whilst his father had fought to protect the innocent, Sesshomaru merely fought to ensure there were always humans nearby, should he ever happen to need their assistance if Rin took ill, or decided she wanted human company.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin called to him.

Sesshomaru turned his head slightly, watching from the corner of one eye as she skipped towards him, holding out another bunch of pungent daisies towards him as she always insisted on doing for reasons Sesshomaru was yet to fathom.

"Lord Sesshomaru, will we be leaving the castle soon?" she asked.

Sesshomaru briefly wondered if Jaken had told the girl as much or if she knew his mind better than he had given her credit for.

"I would like to see my new friends again," she added meekly, lowering her chin and widening her eyes, a move Sesshomaru often saw her use when she was trying to get her own way with something.

Obviously this was some human folly, something that would endear the heart of the person she sought to reason with. It did nothing more than amuse Sesshomaru that this little human thought that such a wasted action would actually have any effect on him.

"Jaken will take you to the village," he plainly replied.

Rin paused, lifting her chin again to look him more fully in the eye.

"Won't you come with us, Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked sweetly.

"No," he flatly replied. "Just remember to be back before nightfall."

"But the village is so far away, I don't know if we can be back that soon," Rin said.

Sesshomaru's eyebrows twitched slightly, moving downwards and slightly closer together as a hint of a frown darkened his eyes.

"Take Ah-Un," he suggested.

"Um, Milord?" Jaken said meekly from behind Sesshomaru. "The girl wants to visit Inuyasha and his friends."

Sesshomaru turned his head to look over his shoulder at Jaken. When he saw that Jaken appeared to be serious, he turned back to Rin.

"I want to see Kohaku and Kirara again," Rin explained.

Sesshomaru gulped quietly as Rin spoke the fire-cat's name. He had almost managed to put that girl from his mind until Rin had spoken her name, but he suddenly found himself thinking about her again.

"You see, we would be gone for two days," Jaken added.

"I have to patrol the lands," Sesshomaru said, more to himself than Jaken.

"Then you will come with us?" Jaken asked.

Sesshomaru thought for a moment about what he should do. He had no desire to cross paths with Inuyasha or any of his tiresome human friends again any time soon, but the idea of seeing the fire-cat again did at least hold some appeal. His eyes fixed on his castle Sesshomaru plucked the flowers from Rin's hand.

"Rin, tell Rinko that we will be leaving the castle shortly," he instructed.

"Yes, my Lord!" she chirped, bowing politely to him before running off towards the castle.

Sesshomaru watched her until she had entered the castle before turning to Jaken. He narrowed his amber eyes slightly, realising from years of experience that a warning look was worth a thousand words when he wished to question his servant.

"Forgive me my Lord, I went to see the fire-cat last night," Jaken confessed, dropping to his knees.

Satisfied with just how effective his action had been, Sesshomaru took a moment to register what Jaken had just said.

"You went to see the fire-cat?" he repeated slowly.

"Aye, Milord," Jaken continued. "And do you know, that wind witch Kagura, that incarnation of Naraku, she lied to you, My Lord! She was not the one who arranged for your arm to be restored! It was the fire-cat!"

Sesshomaru remained silent, having to fight the urge to question Jaken further on the subject. However, his curiosity was soon satiated as Jaken continued to explain without the need for Sesshomaru to prompt him further.

"She did it to repay her debt to you," Jaken explained. "Because you saved her from Kagura and Inuyasha's Wind Scar. She didn't wish to be indebted to you, so she asked the red and the white priestesses to restore your lost arm."

"She was not indebted to me," Sesshomaru muttered. "I never sought anything in return for my actions that night."

"Hu-ur?" Jaken echoed, his face twisting in surprise at his master's words.

Sesshomaru looked directly into Jaken's eyes for a moment before swiftly spinning on his heels, turning his back to his servant once more.

"This matter cannot go unresolved," he said coldly as he watched Rin running back towards them from the castle. "We leave here immediately."

"Aye Milord," Jaken said, nodding his head and getting to his feet behind Sesshomaru.

* * *

"What the hell is he doing here?" Inuyasha growled, lifting hand to shade his eyes against the evening sun as he looked up into the sky.

"Is it Koga?" Kagome asked, stepping out of Kaede's hut to join him.

"No, worse," Inuyasha grumbled. "It's my jackass older brother."

"Sesshomaru?" Miroku asked, walking over to join Inuyasha and Kagome. "What does he want?"

"Probably to test the Tetsusaiga again," Inuyasha drawled, rolling his eyes. "I thought he learned his lesson after he saw me fight off my demon blood and those jewel shards. I'm strong enough to deserve the damn sword!"

"Oh Inuyasha, you were so brave!" Kagome said with a sigh.

"Thanks to you, Sango has her little brother back again," Miroku added, smiling as he turned to where Sango and Kohaku were practising throwing their weapons at sticks Shippo and Soten had stuck into the ground.

"Wait Inuyasha, Sesshomaru hasn't come here for a fight," Kagome said, grabbing Inuyasha's wrist to stop him drawing out the Tetsusaiga. "He's brought the little girl with him, look!"

"That's right, Inuyasha!" Miroku agreed, watching as the two-headed dragon demon slowly descended through the air before them. "He never fights in her presence."

"Then what the hell does he want?" Inuyasha grumbled under his breath, reluctantly releasing the hilt of his sword.

"Kohaku!" Rin cried, leaping to the ground.

Inuyasha, Miroku and Kagome turned their heads to watch as Kohaku turned around, greeting Rin with a smile. Sango frowned nervously at Rin before turning sharply to Sesshomaru and gasping in alarm, clapping a hand over her open mouth.

"Hey jackass, I don't remember inviting you here," Inuyasha said gruffly as Sesshomaru stepped off of his steed.

"Show Lord Sesshomaru some respect, you ungrateful half-breed!" Jaken screeched, waving his staff at Inuyasha.

Miroku calmly brought his own staff around, hitting Jaken's staff back. Jaken shrieked, leaping back a step as he eyed Miroku over.

"You came all this way just because the little girl wanted to see Kohaku?" Inuyasha asked, turning back to Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru stared blankly back at Inuyasha until his brother faltered slightly and eventually looked away. He then slowly allowed his eyes to roam the surrounding village. His eyes confirmed what his other senses had already deduced: he was standing amongst peasant humans, three little demon children and one half-demon.

"Jaken," he said plainly, turning and walking towards the nearby river.

"Aye, Milord?" Jaken responded, scurrying after him.

Sesshomaru stopped by the bank of the river, waiting until Jaken appeared at his ankles before continuing. Tilting his head slightly to look up at the sky as the sun slowly sank towards the horizon, Sesshomaru kept his face blank as he continued.

"Where is the fire-cat?" he asked.

"She went to see the two priestesses at their temple, Milord," Jaken began. "She wanted them to cast a spell…"

Jaken slowly stopped as Sesshomaru walked away from him, crossing the small bridge and walking towards the edge of the village.

"Milord?" he called after him. "Where are you going?"

"Stay here and watch over Rin," Sesshomaru quietly replied without looking back.

"Yes, my Lord," Jaken groaned.

Jaken watched his master slowly fade into the shadows of the forest before muttering to himself.

"She wanted them to cast a spell on her to make her a little cat again. And you only have until nightfall if you want to stop her."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** With very little time left to contemplate her future, Kirara suddenly finds her decision taken out of her hands when Kohaku inadvertently wishes for something he has lost. **Chapter 33 – Kohaku's Wish**.


	33. Kohaku's Wish

**Recap:** Jaken tried to stop Kirara from having the spell redone by telling her that Sesshomaru did still care for her, but Kirara ignored his advice. Jaken tried to warn Sesshomaru about Kirara's plans, but Sesshomaru ignored him too.

* * *

 **Chapter 33 – Kohaku's Wish**

Kirara leapt backwards, swinging her sword around as another snake demon shot towards her. She had forgotten just how many demons there were before Naraku had begun gathering the jewel shards and becoming powerful enough to scare them all into hiding. Of course, remembering back, she acknowledged that she and Sango had been called upon to slay at least one demon a day back when they were still living in the demon-slayer's village; but the sheer amount of monsters she had encountered on her way back to Kaede's village was still shocking.

Kirara dropped to the ground, looking down at her now heavily bloodstained sword. She smiled a small smile as she looked down at the perfectly crafted weapon that Totosai had made for her. She had grown quite attached to the sword, even though she had barely used it, and it represented yet another small, selfish reason why she would miss having a human body. Unfortunately, the armour Totosai had given her had been so badly destroyed by Inuyasha's full-demon claws, Kirara had been forced to dispose of it, and return to wearing her old armour; and yet she still found her armour as another reason why she wished to remain in her human form.

Kirara sighed, shaking her head. She had hoped that she could just enjoy one last, leisurely walk on two legs back to Kaede's village, where she could observe her friends one last time before returning to Momiji and Botan in time to have the spell redone; but she had been challenged by so many demons on her way, she doubted she would even make it as far as the village before sun-down. Looking up at the sky, Kirara saw that the blues overhead had deepened, and the horizon had begun to glow the rich shades of pink and purple that signified that the sun was already setting.

Kirara turned her head, spotting the old bone eater's well a short way ahead of her, a sight that at last brought a grin to her face. She was almost at Kaede's village she only had a little further to go to reach her destination. Returning her sword to its sheath, Kirara ran the rest of the way to the edge of the forest, stopping at the grassy hill beyond that overlooked the village. Kirara smiled as she sighted the children running around and playing, their energy apparently boundless; but her breath caught in her throat as she saw a fifth child running with Shippo, Kohaku, Soten and Koru.

"Rin…" Kirara whispered, her brow furrowing curiously. "What is she doing here?"

Kirara slowly scanned across the village to the small fire that had been constructed just outside of Kaede's hut. Miroku and Kagome were sat around the fire together, talking amiably between themselves. A short distance from them, Inuyasha was sitting scowling at Jaken, who was sat scowling back at him, the two apparently having some sort of never-ending, silent, staring contest. Looking further along the length of the village, Kirara eventually found Ah-Un lying on the ground, one head eating from a bowl Kirara recognised as the bowl Sango had used to feed her when she was a cat, the other head resting in the crook of Sango's arm as she softly petted its mane with her other hand.

Kirara scanned back across the village, carefully studying everyone and everything that she could see. Ah-Un was there, Jaken was there and even Rin was there; but where was Sesshomaru? Once Kirara was positive that Sesshomaru was definitely not present, she began to feel another wave of an emotion she had never felt when she had been a small cat. She was not sure what the feeling was, but she did not like it, and it was making her eyes burn and her throat grow tight.

"He didn't come here because he couldn't bear to see me again," she whispered aloud. "Does he really hate me that much?"

Kirara sighed, creeping along the hillside, strategically walking around the outskirts of the village. Kirara kept walking until she had walked beyond the last hut, before slowly arcing down the side of the hill, taking herself further away from the edge of the village as she descended towards the ground.

Once she was on level with the village, Kirara looked back at the distance figures, squinting to confirm that they would not see her. In the increasing darkness of the setting sun, she knew that only a demon's sense of smell would be able to sense her close presence, and so she approached the river, dropping down onto her hands and knees to peer over the bank into the water below.

Kirara could just make the reflection of her own human-like face staring back at her from the surface of the water. She tilted her head to one side, leaning slightly closer, her hair flopping over her shoulders, the ends dipping into the water. She silently wondered if it was the last time that she would ever see her face look that way; and to her own surprise, she did not have to wait long for her query to be answered.

Turning her head sharply as the sound of children's voices became audible, Kirara watched as Kohaku sat down hard onto the ground by the edge of the village, his sadness and disappointment evident to Kirara even though he was still some distance away from her.

"What's wrong, Kohaku?" Rin asked him, standing over him.

"It's not fair," Kohaku moaned. "I don't have anyone to help me train like Sango did. She had a fire-cat demon that fought with her by day, and was her pet by night. I don't have anything!"

"Can't you train with Kirara?" Shippo asked him. "She said she would transform and train with you."

"It's not the same, she's a lady now, she can't be my pet like she was to Sango," Kohaku replied.

Kirara's face dropped as she felt both sad that Kohaku did not like her human form and yet oddly amused that he had referred to her as a "lady"; she was almost certain that it was the first time ever that anyone had used that word to describe her.

"I wish Kirara was a little cat again, so that she could help me train and be my pet cat like she was when Sango was my age," Kohaku said softly.

Kirara clasped a hand to her chest, closing her eyes tightly as an unusual sensation washed over her. Opening her eyes again a moment later, she turned back to the river, finding herself no longer looking at a reflection of the face of her human form, but rather the face of a small, cream and black two-tailed cat with big red eyes, its head tilted to one side as it looked back up at her.

Every part of Midoriko's message had finally been realised.

* * *

Sesshomaru paced back and forth, the long, loose sleeves of his haori swishing around him every time he spun around to pace back along the same stretch of grass. His behaviour was neither befitting of his status as Lord of the Western Lands nor typical of his normally calm and aloof character; and yet he could not escape the turmoil within his mind.

He had barely made it halfway to the temple Jaken had told him the fire-cat was at before he had stopped and begun to question his motives. He now found himself torn between going back to the village to collect his entourage and return home to forget about the whole affair, and continuing on to the temple to confront the argumentative and strange woman who he had been wholly unable to shake from his thoughts of late.

Pacing back and forth, his steps both quicker and heavier than usual, Sesshomaru only stopped as he sensed the sudden appearance of a demonic aura. It was not sufficiently strong to cause him any concern, but it was much stronger than any of the usual demons he would expect to encounter in the forest. Slowing to a halt, Sesshomaru turned his head, his eyes narrowing at what he saw. Standing at the very edge of the clearing he was in, almost concealed in the shadows of the trees was Kagura, her fan held up over her mouth, barely concealing the mischievous grin of delight on her face.

"Well, well, Lord Sesshomaru," she said quietly, lowering her fan as her grin twisted into a condescending smirk, her crimson eyes slowly raking over his form as she spoke. "I remember a time when I believed you to be the strongest demon alive. But to look at you now, it seems that you've been reduced to nothing more than a pitiful, lovesick puppy."

Sesshomaru smoothly leapt into the air, swiping a hand at the wind sorceress, but she easily leapt out of his reach, looking back over her shoulder at him as he landed in a crouch, the trunk of a nearby tree bubbling and dissolving from the poison that had spat out from his claws.

"Really Sesshomaru, if you feel that strongly about the girl, why not just tell her?" Kagura sighed, flapping her fan at her face, causing her hair to billow gently around her forehead.

Sesshomaru slowly stood, turning around to face her. Kagura turned fully towards him, purposefully eying him over again, a small smirk on her face telling him that she knew only too well how much her actions were infuriating him. As she met his eyes again, Kagura's smirk widened, and she let out a loud, short, over-dramatic sigh of exasperation.

"Really Sesshomaru," she said, shaking her head at him. "I'm sure that just for once, you could drop the act of being the cold, heartless, malevolent, aloof "lord" and put the poor girl out of her misery."

"Addressing me in such a brash manner and presuming to know what I think will only invoke my wrath," Sesshomaru growled at her. "Is that what you seek to do here today?"

"There you go again…" Kagura sighed, turning her back on him.

Sesshomaru straightened his back, unsure of how to react to her sudden bravado; only a fool or strong warrior would dare turn their back on Sesshomaru, especially after angering him so.

"Oh I feel quite safe that you will not harm me," Kagura added, glancing over her shoulder at him, speaking as though she had sensed his thoughts. "Like I said, I already know that the cold, heartless act that you portray is nothing more than just that: an act."

"I never repeat myself," Sesshomaru darkly replied. "You had better leave, or I will kill you. I will be so generous as to give you another warning."

"Oh please, not that again!"

Sesshomaru froze, again too taken aback to respond as quickly as he would have liked to. People – both humans and demons – seemed to have been surprising him a lot recently, and he could only think of one reason for it all. Sesshomaru glanced down at the sword his father had bequeathed him, narrowing his eyes disdainfully at it.

""I never repeat myself"," Kagura said mockingly. ""And I hate humans, even though I rescued one and now treat her as if she were my own child". Sesshomaru, you are certainly not convincing anyone else with your crap, so tell me: are you managing to convince yourself?"

Sesshomaru charged at Kagura again, to which she casually spun around, waving her fan through the air, sending a barrage of blades towards him. Sesshomaru hurriedly leapt into the air to avoid her attack, landing hard once the blades had passed, his fangs bared and his eyes glowing red at her through the increasing darkness around them.

"I don't have time to play games with you," Kagura told him frankly. "The sun has almost set completely!"

She pointed towards the glowing horizon with her fan, causing Sesshomaru to momentarily glance to the west to acknowledge her point.

"The girl has gone to the temple of the red and white priestess to have herself changed back into a little pet cat for the pleasure of her human friends," Kagura sternly explained, bringing her fan down sharply to her side. "If you don't go there right now, you will be too late to stop her."

"You presume–"

"I don't presume anything, it's written all over your face. I won't deny that I would have liked my chance with you myself, but it's plainly obvious that you only have eyes for that common cat girl. You saved my life, and I know you found out that I lied to you about your arm, so consider this my way of repaying you. If you ever want to see Kirara in her human form again, you had better hurry after her, before you are too late to stop her."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes menacingly, but the red glow faded from them as he glowered at Kagura.

"You're welcome," Kagura whispered, lifting her fan again to cover her mouth.

Sesshomaru let out a small, rough growl, before turning and running in the direction of Momiji and Botan's temple. Kagura lowered her fan slightly, unable to contain the laughter that burst forth from her chest as she watched Sesshomaru run after the pathetic fire-cat.

* * *

"I'm finished!" Botan said, nodding her head once in satisfaction at her handiwork.

"That took a lot longer than I expected…" Momiji muttered.

"It wasn't easy!" Botan argued. "Priestess Midoriko was a very powerful priestess! But I've finally managed to work out the exact details of the spell she cast on Kirara!"

"Well good," Momiji replied. "Either way, I have prepared a spell to cast upon her to return her to the form of a small cat. I did try to find a way to make it conditional, or at least only temporary, but there was nothing I could do. Once I cast this spell, she will be bound into the form of a small cat forever. Apart from when she transforms into a larger cat, of course. Anyway, what did you find?"

"Priestess Midoriko's spell has been completed," Botan replied. "It wasn't completed when Kirara's friend Sango made her wish, but something has happened since then, and it is now complete. Kirara is now totally free of the spell."

"Meaning we can now cast this spell upon her."

Momiji sighed, sitting down next to Botan.

"You have doubts too?" Botan asked her.

"Well…" Momiji said slowly, looking up at the star-filled sky overhead. "I know that Kirara is a demon, but she seemed to have a true heart, and I don't really believe that this is the best thing for her to do."

"I know what you mean," Botan agreed. "But she was determined that this was what she wanted."

Momiji nodded her head, forcing a tight-lipped smile.

"We should call her back in," she said.

"Has she been waiting outside the gates all this time?" Botan asked.

"Not the whole time," Momiji replied, rising to her feet. "She left for a while, but she is on her way back now, I can sense her approach."

Botan nodded her agreement, standing up as Momiji started across the courtyard to the gates that led outside the confines of the temple grounds.

"Momiji?" Botan asked slowly, tilting her head upwards to look into the sky.

"Yes?" Momiji asked, stopping to look back at Botan.

"Have you taken down our barrier?" Botan asked.

"No, why?"

Botan pointed upwards, and Momiji looked up, her eyes widening as she saw a large fire-cat flying through the air towards them. The two priestesses hurriedly began deconstructing their barrier of paper sutras, barely managing to finish in time for the fire-cat to drop down into the courtyard.

"Kirara?" Botan asked, running towards the large cat.

Momiji yelped in alarm as the giant fire-cat was engulfed in a wall of flames. Both girls then shrieked as the flames cleared to reveal a small two-tailed cat with enormous red eyes, which blinked at them forlornly.

"She became a cat again!" Momiji gasped, hurrying over to the cat and crouching down by its side.

"And she looks so sad!" Botan added, dropping to her knees by the cat's other side.

"I thought you said that the spell was completely undone, Botan!" Momiji snapped.

"It was!" Botan argued. "Something else happened to make it so, but it definitely had been fully undone!"

"And this is the result?" Momiji asked, pointing at the little cat between them. "She was made to become a little cat again?"

"Oh how sad!" Botan wailed, grabbing the cat up and cuddling it against her chest.

Momiji whimpered as she watched the little cat purr softly, rubbing its face against Botan's shoulder.

"We never even got the chance to say goodbye!" she whispered.

"I'm sure she can still understand us…" Botan said slowly, holding the cat out at arm's length. "But she has lost that sparkle from her eyes..."

"Oh how sad!" Momiji sighed.

"I suppose she just came here to let us know the outcome," Botan said softly, frowning at the tired, saddened creature in her hands.

"We should let her go back to her friends," Momiji suggested, standing up and starting towards the gates.

"I suppose she must have only been allowed to have her human form back long enough to allow her to help her human friend," Botan said, standing up and following Momiji to the gates.

"Well, at least this means she was successful. Let me hold her one last time."

Botan handed the cat to Momiji, opening one of the gates and stepping outside of the temple grounds. Momiji cuddled the cat close to her body one last time, before stepping out of the temple grounds and crouching down, opening out her arms to release the cat. Momiji stood at Botan's side once more, and both girls sighed as they watched the little two-tailed fire-cat demon slowly walk away without any apparent purpose.

"We did our best," Momiji said softly, turning to Botan.

Botan nodded, and the two stepped back into the temple grounds, closing the gate. Once they were out of sight, Sesshomaru stepped out of the shadows, his eyes fixed on the little cat they had just released. Gulping anxiously, he started towards the cat, something inside of him twisting as he saw the familiar sight of the fluffy little cat Inuyasha's human demon-slayer friend usually carried around in the crook of her arm.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Some things were just never meant to be. **Chapter 34 – Kirara's Destiny**.


	34. Kirara's Destiny

**Recap:** Kirara could not fully decide whether or not return to a cat, but as she considered Midoriko's message to her and the nature of Midoriko's spell, Kohaku wished for Kirara to become a cat again, which meant that...

* * *

 **Chapter 34 – Kirara's Destiny**

"We did our best," Momiji said softly, turning to Botan.

Botan nodded, and the two stepped back into the temple grounds, closing the gate. Once they were out of sight, Sesshomaru stepped out of the shadows, his eyes fixed on the little cat they had just released. Gulping anxiously, he started towards the cat, something inside of him twisting as he saw the familiar sight of the fluffy little cat Inuyasha's human demon-slayer friend usually carried around in the crook of her arm.

Sesshomaru stopped by the little cat, letting out a breath he had not been aware that he had been holding in. In one smooth movement, he reached down and grabbed the little cat up by the scruff of its neck, his face twisting as he saw the dull, expressionless look on its face. Surely this was not the same creature who, barely a few days earlier, had been fighting Naraku and bravely risking her life as she tried to save the human boy she cared so much about?

Sesshomaru slowly turned the cat around to look it directly in the face. He felt her skin tighten beneath his grip as he met the cat's eyes, his concern fading somewhat as the little cat began to growl. It was a pitiful, miniscule sound, but the cat's hackles were up, and she was bearing her little fangs at him.

'Some things never change,' Sesshomaru thought to himself, his face relaxing back into its usual, expressionless look. 'She still wants to fight with me.'

Sesshomaru slowly placed the cat back down onto the ground, taking a step back from her, one eye twitching slightly as he saw just how pathetically small and insignificant she looked in that form. Before Sesshomaru could give her small cat form too much thought however, the little demon leapt into the air, hissing at him.

Sesshomaru could not stop his eyebrows from dropping into a frown as the cat grabbed onto his fur boa, opening its jaws wide and biting down into the fur.

"Kuroro!"

"Wha–?" Sesshomaru grunted, turning his head back towards the direction he had just come from, finding a young human girl, apparently not much older than Rin, running towards him with her arms open.

"Kuroro!" the girl said again.

"I am not a "kuroro"," Sesshomaru said flatly, narrowing his eyes at the girl at his side.

"I was talking to my cat!" the girl replied, planting her hands on her hips and pouting up at him indignantly.

"Your cat?" Sesshomaru asked, glancing at the fire-cat on his shoulder, who was still chewing angrily at his fur scarf.

"The nice lady helped me find her," the girl explained. "I've been chasing her for days. Now give her to me."

"No," Sesshomaru said coldly, grabbing the cat off of his shoulder and holding her up in the air away from the little girl at his side.

"Give me back my cat!" the girl yelled at him.

"She is not your cat!" Sesshomaru growled.

Seeing that the girl was genuinely angry with him and apparently unfazed by – or perhaps just unaware of – the fact that he was a powerful demon, Sesshomaru momentarily wondered if having a female human living with him at his castle was making him become as weak and pitiful as his father had become after taking in that wretched human woman who eventually became Inuyasha's mother.

"She is my cat!" the girl argued tenaciously.

"She is not!" Sesshomaru argued.

"She is so!"

"She is not!"

"Is so!"

"Is not!"

Sesshomaru paused as he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat loudly and deliberately. Looking up, he saw a figure standing by the edge of the forest smirking at him in apparent amusement at his predicament.

"Give the little girl her cat, Lord Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru looked at the cat in his hands one more time, finding that she was still hissing and spitting at him angrily, before turning back to the woman standing with her arms folded, her green eyes bright with amusement as she watched him.

Sesshomaru slowly lowered his hands, passing the little cat to the human girl at his side.

"Thank you for your help catching Kuroro, Miss Kirara!" the girl called over to Kirara, waving a hand at her.

"Will you be alright finding your way home from here?" Kirara called back to her as she started to walk off carrying her little pet fire-cat.

"Yes, thank you!" the girl called back.

Kirara waved one last time to the girl, before slowly moving her eyes back to Sesshomaru, her smirk widening.

"Lord Sesshomaru…" she began, unable to hide the sarcasm in her voice. "You didn't… You didn't think that that cat was… Did you think that that cat was… Me?"

Kirara's smirk widened into a grin that exposed her fangs to the moonlight as she saw Sesshomaru's eyebrows flicker slightly, a movement barely noticeable to most, but an expression of just how humbled he was to Kirara.

'Idiot!' she thought to herself in delight. 'Now he finally knows how I always feel in his presence! For once, just once, he's the one who looks like a complete fool, whilst I can stand here and be the one who is all smug and pleased with myself for being smarter and better than him!'

"It's not nice being made to feel like a fool, is it Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked.

Holding her head high in the air and feeling really rather proud of herself, Kirara started to walk towards Sesshomaru, only to stub her toe on a rock and trip right over it, landing hard facedown.

"Damn it…" she growled quietly into the ground, curling her hands into fists at her sides. "I knew it was too good to be true!"

Kirara sighed, feeling like even more of an idiot than she ever had in Sesshomaru's presence: another good reason to hurry to the two priestesses and have them cast their spell. It had all but broken Kirara's heart in two when she had heard Kohaku wish for her to become a cat again. The only thing had kept her from crying had been the appearance of the little fire-cat called Kuroro and the human girl who was chasing her.

Kirara slowly lifted her head, gasping and crossing her eyes as she saw something in front of her face. For a moment, Kirara could do nothing more than stare at Sesshomaru's hand as it hovered before her, her mind too shocked to even consider what to do next. Once her initial shock had lessened sufficiently, Kirara slowly ran her eyes up the length of Sesshomaru's arm to his face, finding him leaning over her with that usual, blank expression on his face.

Keeping her eyes fixed on his, Kirara slowly slid her hand into his, mewing as he pulled her to her feet more forcefully than she had expected him to. She stumbled as she tried to regain her balance, inadvertently bumping into Sesshomaru's chest.

"Sorry," she quickly said, taking a step back from him.

But Sesshomaru, who was still holding onto her hand, tugged her back, forcing her to stagger into him again. Kirara met his eyes questioningly, instantly blushing as she saw just how close their faces suddenly were.

"Um…" she began awkwardly. "Thank you?"

Kirara waited for Sesshomaru to say or do something, but he remained perfectly still and silent. She began to frown, a small part of her wondering if he was even still breathing; he was so still it was hard to tell.

"Did…" she began slowly. "Did you honestly… Did you really think that… Did you honestly think that that cat was me? Couldn't you tell that it wasn't me by its scent?"

Again, Kirara's words were met with silence, and a stare that was beginning to bore into her and make her want to squirm, Sesshomaru's firm grip on her hand being the only thing that stopped her from turning away or taking a step back from him.

"Because if you had checked its scent, you would have realised that it wasn't me," Kirara added. "Surely that would have been the logical thing to do?"

"I wasn't thinking logically," Sesshomaru quietly replied, his words a little more hurried than usual.

"Oh…" Kirara said slowly, her eyes lowering from Sesshomaru's to the wet, chewed patch on his fur boa, the sight of which made her want to laugh.

Fighting the urge to give in to her amusement, Kirara forced herself to think of Kohaku's wish, sobering her thoughts as she remembered why she was at the temple in the first place. Kirara slowly moved her eyes back to Sesshomaru's intense, golden glare, faltering slightly at the moment that their eyes locked. She bravely held his gaze for a moment as her mind tried to focus on Kohaku, before she remembered the two very important things she had longed to say to Sesshomaru before she lost her voice.

"Ah…" she began awkwardly. "Your um… Your little… Jaken. He told me that Kagura told you that she was the one who arranged for your arm to be restored–"

"Jaken already told me that it was really you," Sesshomaru interrupted her, his voice back to its usual calm, unhurried, flat tone.

"Oh…" Kirara responded, nodding her head slightly. "Well good. I wouldn't want you to think that I was indebted to you at all."

"I have never thought that," Sesshomaru plainly replied.

"Oh…"

Kirara bit into her bottom lip, her eyes wandering down to the chewed patch of Sesshomaru's boa again as she tried to recover from his apparent lack of concern for something that she had been losing sleep over.

"I should have known of course that Jaken would have told you everything already, he was spying on me for some time, and I know how he loves to repeat the outcome of all his under-handed little tactics to you," she said quietly.

"Yes, you understand then why I keep him around," Sesshomaru replied.

Kirara met Sesshomaru's eyes again with a frown, wondering for a third time if he had just made an attempt at humour. Again, she thought miserably to herself as she allowed her eyes to fall away from his, it was another facet of his personality that he kept guarded and hidden, a part of him she longed to know better but never would.

"And there is just one more thing," she added firmly, lifting her eyes back to his with purpose. "It's about Kohaku. I saw what you did the day that we fought Naraku, and I heard what you said to Inuyasha. You saved Kohaku and Inuyasha, and you let Inuyasha take the credit for your actions. You made him believe that he was stronger than he was, and I know that that can't have been easy for you to do, knowing how much you despise him. I've never spoken to the others about it, because I assumed that you didn't want them to know that it was really you who saved Kohaku from Inuyasha and Inuyasha from the jewel shards. Maybe you were concerned that they would view your helping Kohaku and your brother as a sign of weakness – whatever your reasons, I want you to know that I respected your wishes, and I remained quiet on the matter."

"I had hoped that you had not seen or heard what happened," Sesshomaru said.

"But I did," Kirara insisted. "I saw and heard it all. And please, you must allow me to thank you for what you did. You saved two souls I care dearly for. Were it not for you, neither Kohaku nor Inuyasha would be alive today. Well, Inuyasha might have survived, but he would be in a terrible state, and the jewel would not have been completed, because he would still have some shards, and Kikyo wouldn't have been able to banish Naraku to hell, and he might still be alive, and that would mean that…"

Kirara gulped, smiling awkwardly as she looked up into the completely blank face of Sesshomaru standing over her.

"I'm sorry, I'm talking too much again," she said quietly. "But I feel I have to, because you just stand there and say nothing."

Kirara waited to see if her remark might encourage Sesshomaru to say something – anything – but still he remained silent and impassive.

"Anyway," she continued. "Thank you. And please, allow me to thank you on behalf of Sango, and Kagome and all the others, since they don't even know that they are really indebted to you."

"They are not indebted to me," Sesshomaru said.

Kirara's eyes widened slightly as she found herself so pleased that Sesshomaru had finally answered her, she did not even bother to think about what he had actually just said.

"If you must thank me, let it only be for yourself," he continued, his face still as blank as ever. "For I believe I thought only of you when I acted."

Kirara's jaw slowly opened, and she was certain she had been about to answer Sesshomaru; yet words failed her, and her mind suddenly went blank.

"You cared for the boy, didn't you?" Sesshomaru added.

"Yes," Kirara managed to reply.

"Indeed."

Kirara slowly closed her jaw again.

'He saved Kohaku because he knew that I cared about him?' she thought to herself. 'He did all that just for me? But that doesn't make any sense!'

"I have not forgotten our exchange the day that I asked you to be my mate," Sesshomaru said, interrupting Kirara's thoughts with a start.

Kirara blushed again, letting out a small, nervous laugh as she struggled to maintain eye contact with Sesshomaru.

"Oh please," she said quietly. "Please don't mention that, I was very rude that day–"

"As was I," Sesshomaru interrupted her. "Thinking upon the matter, as I have spent a great deal of time doing, I believe that you were justified to be as abrupt with me as you were."

Kirara's jaw dropped open again, and again words failed her. She could have sworn that Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands had just admitted that he was wrong…

"I had no right to make such rude and unreasonable demands of you," he added.

'Right…' Kirara thought silently. 'He definitely just admitted that he was wrong that time, which is very unlike him. What is he thinking? His face is so blank I can't even begin to guess!'

"I am a man of principle, and there are two rules I have always abided by in my life," Sesshomaru continued, his voice and face still emotionless. "I never repeat myself and I make my decisions with my head, based upon logic and good sense."

Kirara's eyebrows shot upwards as she found herself hanging onto Sesshomaru's every word. Each word he uttered was leading her further down a path of confusion and yet drawing her into a deeper trance. The only two things she wished for were that he would speak quicker to reach his point and that he would at least show some sign of emotion on his face to give her some indication of what he was trying to say to her.

"And yet as I stand here before you today, I find myself in direct contradiction of both of those rules," Sesshomaru continued, speaking each word as slowly, clearly and emotionlessly as ever, much to Kirara's irritation. "It was not a logical decision made in my mind that brought me here tonight."

Kirara waited for Sesshomaru to continue, almost holding her breath in anticipation. When he remained silent, she hurriedly blurted out a word in the hope of prompting him to continue.

"No?" she said, her voice louder than she intended in her anxiety.

"No," he confirmed, maintaining his cool, calm aura as he spoke. "It was a longing in my heart that brought me here."

"A…" Kirara began, stopping as she realised that she was not even sure what she had been about to say.

"I have never repeated myself before, but I will make just one exception tonight," Sesshomaru continued once Kirara had closed her mouth again. "But I should tell you that I will not repeat myself again after tonight, for just one word from you tonight will silence me on this matter forever more."

"Oh…Ah…"

Kirara's eyes dropped to Sesshomaru's hand as he moved it around, holding her hand up in front of his face. She began to blush at the sight of him holding her hand, feeling oddly exposed as she stared at her own hand curled over his.

"Kirara."

"Mew?"

Kirara sharply shifted her eyes to Sesshomaru's, barely able to believe that he had just spoken her name. She had often wondered if he even knew what her name was, since she had never heard him say it before.

"Would you do me the very great honour of accepting me as your mate and become lady of my home and my kingdom?"

"Uh?"

Kirara froze, every part of her body and brain failing to function as she reeled from what she had just heard.

"It is not a complicated question," Sesshomaru calmly pointed out. "I did say that just one word from you was all I required."

"Bur… Guh… Meh… Frr… Kah… Mew?" Kirara muttered helplessly.

"A simple yes or no will suffice," Sesshomaru plainly replied.

"Se… Kee… Ra-ma-ha…F-f-fa…Mew…"

Kirara clamped her mouth shut to stop any more incoherent sounds from escaping her lips, staring up at Sesshomaru with wide, shocked eyes. She held his gaze for a moment before slowly turning her head, casting a glance over at the temple that Momiji and Botan lived and trained in.

"Regardless of how you feel about me, please do not have them turn you back into a little cat," Sesshomaru said, causing Kirara to turn sharply back to him.

'Did he just say "please"?' she asked herself silently.

"I don't think I could bear to see you reduced to such a lowly–"

"Yes."

For the first time since helping her to her feet, Kirara saw Sesshomaru's expression change, as he narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Yes," she confirmed, nodding her head.

"Yes you will not have them turn you into a cat again, or yes you wish to accept my proposal?" he asked.

"Yes," Kirara said again.

Sesshomaru's face slid back into its usual blank look, and Kirara momentarily found the sense of mind to explain herself more clearly.

"Both," she said hurriedly. "Yes to both."

"Oh," Sesshomaru said quietly.

"Yes," Kirara said again. "Yes to both of your questions. Yes… Please… Yes…"

"Thank you," Sesshomaru said softly, lifting Kirara's hand upwards and lightly touching his lips to his knuckles.

Kirara whimpered softly as she watched his act of tenderness, only moving her eyes back to his as she felt the warmth of his lips leave her skin. Still slightly stunned by her disbelief of the outcome of events – Kirara had rather expected to be locked into the form of a small cat that night, and yet she found herself still in her human form and betrothed to Sesshomaru – Kirara found that she could to nothing more that stare into Sesshomaru's eyes, her mouth slightly open.

For a moment, the two stared blankly at each other, before one corner of Sesshomaru's mouth curled upwards slightly, the hint of a smirk on his features causing Kirara's eyes to widen in surprise. Tightening his hold on her hand, Sesshomaru slid his other hand around the back of her neck, tilting her head backwards and bringing his lips down against hers. Kirara moaned into his kiss, allowing her eyes to close and her muscles to relax against his grip, her mind slowly drifting back in time to a day that seemed like it belonged in another lifetime when compared to the moment she now found herself living.

* * *

Kirara dropped to her knees, looking down at her hands, struggling to focus on her fingers. Her hands were shaking so badly and her eyes were blurred over with tears, making her fingers look like nothing more than a crimson band of colour before her.

"I'm sorry!" she whispered, her voice barely audible to even her own ears. "It was a mistake, I fell!"

Kirara closed her eyes, tears sliding down over her cheeks. Her words sounded like pathetic excuses to even her own desperate mind.

"Open your eyes and look at me, Kirara."

Kirara gulped, before obediently opening her eyes and lifting her head to look up at Midoriko, who stood over her, her face stern and determined. Kirara slowly moved her eyes to the bloody gash down Midoriko's arm, fresh tears welling in her eyes as she remembered the feeling of her own claws tearing through her best friend's skin.

"Please," she sobbed. "I was trying to hit the demon, I had no idea you would move forwards, I would never hurt you–"

"Say no more," Midoriko said, her tone flat and emotionless, making Kirara's insides twist into a knot. "We have fought many demons together, but I do not truly believe that I can ever fully trust you not to betray me."

"I would never betray you!" Kirara gasped.

"There is only one way for me to be sure of that," Midoriko replied. "In order to ensure that you will always remain faithful to me, I am going to cast a spell on you, which will mean that you will no longer be able to take a human form."

"What?"

"The spell will force you to turn into a small, two-tailed cat when you are not in your fighting fire-cat demon form."

"I-I don't understand. Why do you have to do such a thing?"

"It is the only way. But I do promise you that if you stay good and true, one day a human will free you from this curse. And if there is a soul who cares enough for you and comes to need you more in your human form than in your cat form, you will be freed from the curse entirely, and your human form body will be returned to you."

* * *

Kirara opened her eyes, looking up at Sesshomaru as he drew back from her. She gave him a small smile before lowering her head, feeling suddenly very self-conscious. Sesshomaru moved his hand against her neck, pushing his thumb against the underside of her chin, forcing her to look up at him again. Kirara smiled wider as she met his eyes, but she could feel her face growing hot.

"I have to go," he said softly.

"Oh…" Kirara said dumbly. "Right…"

"Back to the village," Sesshomaru added. "Will you join me?"

"Oh yes of course!" Kirara hurriedly replied.

Sesshomaru nodded his head, his hands sliding from Kirara. She turned her back on him and began to walk back in the direction of Kaede's village, failing to notice that Sesshomaru was not following her.

"It is much quicker if we fly, Kirara."

Kirara stopped abruptly, again stunned by the sound of Sesshomaru speaking her name.

"Fly, right," she said, nodding her head.

She crouched down, ready to jump into the air and transform mid-leap; but before Kirara could push off the ground, Sesshomaru grabbed an arm around her waist and she was suddenly lifted from the ground. She gasped in alarm, watching the ground get further away from her as she rose through the air. After her initial shock had passed, Kirara turned her head slightly, gasping again as she saw clusters of small, translucent clouds around her feet.

"Wow…" she muttered, turning to look up at Sesshomaru.

Kirara was certain she caught a hint of a smile on his face before he met her eyes.

"It can get cold up here," he said quietly, lifting off his fur boa and gently placing it over Kirara's shoulders.

Kirara smiled, gripping her hands into the warm fur around her. She looked up at Sesshomaru again, but he appeared to be looking ahead of himself. Unable to resist the childish feeling of glee within, Kirara grabbed her arms around Sesshomaru's waist, nuzzling her head against his shoulder where the fur scarf had been resting only moments ago.

To her joy, after a brief moment, Sesshomaru snaked one arm around her waist, holding her against his side.

* * *

"How strange!" Botan muttered, frowning at the watery image suspended in the air before her.

"What's the matter, Botan?" Momiji called to her.

"I've just discovered what it was that broke the final part of Priestess Midoriko's spell on Kirara!" Botan called back to her.

"You have?" Momiji asked, backing into the room to frown at her questioningly.

"Well, Priestess Midoriko said that a human had the power to break the spell, and it was Sango's wish that allowed Kirara to have her human form returned to her," Botan explained. "But the only reason she would be allowed to break the curse was if she could find a soul who needed her more in her human form than in her cat form."

"Which was Sango?" Momiji asked.

"No," Botan replied, shaking her head. "Sango no longer felt the need for a human companion when she learned of the monk Miroku's true feelings for her."

"So what are you saying? Kirara was a cat again, remember?"

"That wasn't her. Luckily for her, the one who needed her in her human form didn't give up. Look."

Momiji turned to the watery image in front of Botan, tilting her head at the sight of Kirara clutching onto the demon whose arm they had restored.

"How strange," she muttered.

* * *

"You're what?!" Sango roared, her eyes growing impossibly large and her face paling.

"Um…" Kirara began awkwardly, avoiding her friend's eyes.

"Engaged…" Sango said slowly, speaking the word as though it was poison in her mouth. "To Sesshomaru?"

"I suppose you could call it that…" Kirara said quietly.

"Are out of your mind?" Sango gasped. "What were you thinking accepting his offer like that?"

"Sango…"

Kirara met Sango's eyes, her face creasing with worry.

"If you can't accept it, how will the others react?" she asked softly.

Sango glanced over her shoulder at the others. Shippo, Soten and Koru were slouched sleepily by the doorway of Kaede's hut, Kohaku was sitting talking with Rin, Miroku, Kagome and Kaede were standing quietly discussing something, Jaken was standing by Ah-Un, looking mildly nauseous, and Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were standing glaring silently at each other. Sango sighed, turning back to Kirara.

"I thought you hated him, Kirara," she said quietly.

"I did," Kirara replied.

"And now you love him?" Sango asked. "Just like that?"

"No, not just like that…" Kirara slowly replied. "It happened gradually. But it didn't take long before I knew that I was in love with him. You understand, don't you? You're not angry with me?"

Sango smiled, reaching her hands out to Kirara's shoulders.

"If you're happy, then so am I," Sango assured her. "You've been an excellent friend, and you served me well in past battles. If this is truly what you want, then I am happy for you."

"Thank you, Sango," Kirara said, smiling again.

"Just don't expect Inuyasha to be too enthralled with the whole idea…"

Sango looked back over her shoulder again, and Kirara leaned past her, moving her eyes to the two brothers, who were still staring at each other in silence.

"I'm sure he'll learn to accept things as they are now," Kirara said confidently.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Ten years on, what has become of Inuyasha and the old gang? Typical Disney fluff from Lucretia. **Epilogue**.


	35. Epilogue

**A/N: ** Tried my best to not make this chapter confusing, but I think it probably still is! Too many OCs, I guess… Ah well, enjoy!

 **Recap:** Sesshomaru asked Kirara to be his one more time, and she said yes. Sango could barely believe what had happened, but Kirara was confident that the others, even Inuyasha, would understand and accept her decision…

* * *

 **Epilogue**

 _Ten Years Later…_

Golden eyes narrowed at the trees ahead. To a casual by-passer the trees were nothing more than another forest; but to the part demon watching them, they were something more. His thick black eyebrows twitched as he saw small specks of green flit through the air, marking the walls of the barrier ahead of him. His concentration only lessened when Kagome stopped by his side, touching a hand to his shoulder and smiling warmly at him.

"Damn it, why are we here anyway?" he snapped irritably at Kagome. "You know I hate Sesshomaru!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled. "Are you just going to stand there and let your son talk like that?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha grunted, stepping up to Kagome's side.

"He's picked up your bad language, your rude manners, and your hatred for your brother," Kagome growled, narrowing her eyes at Inuyasha.

"Keh," Inuyasha replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Why does it always have to be me?" Kagome muttered under her breath.

With a sigh of resignation, Kagome turned back to her son, who was still glowering at the barrier before them, looking more like his father than ever.

"Now you just listen here young man," she said sternly, waggling a finger at him. "That's no way for you to talk about your uncle Sesshomaru! And I don't want to hear you using language like that again, you hear me?"

"But father said that Sesshomaru is a jackass."

Kagome's eyes widened, and she moved them to Inuyasha, who flinched slightly under her glare.

"It's true!" he defended himself, hurriedly shrugging off his fears.

"You're not setting a very good example, Inuyasha!" Kagome growled at him.

"Inuyasha never did set a good example for anything!"

Inuyasha spun around to the source of the voice that had just issued the insult, snorting at what he saw.

"Took you long enough Shippo," he drawled.

"It's good to see you again too, Inuyasha," Shippo sarcastically replied. "Kagome, how are you?"

"Very well thank you Shippo," Kagome replied, smiling up at the young fox demon, who had grown to stand almost as tall as Inuyasha.

"Wow, Akiko gets bigger every time I see him!" Shippo blurted, eying the young quarter-demon over in awe. "I'm sure I wasn't that tall when I was his age…"

"You weren't that tall until after puberty…" Inuyasha muttered.

Kagome scowled at him, but Inuyasha turned his back on them all, facing the barrier around his brother's castle, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Hi Akiko," Shippo said, crouching down in front of him.

"Can you believe he's eight years old already?" Kagome asked, smiling at Shippo as she ruffled a hand through her son's silver hair.

"Ow!" Akiko groaned, ducking away from his mother's hand. "Watch the hair!"

"Yeah, and he looks just like Inuyasha!" Shippo added. "Except of course that he doesn't have those fluffy little dog-ears."

"Hey!" Inuyasha snapped, glowering over his shoulder at Shippo.

"No, he has human ears," Kagome said, ignoring Inuyasha's outburst. "It's probably the only part of him that looks like me."

"Hey Shippo," Inuyasha sneered, obviously still angered by the reference to his ears. "Where's Soten?"

"Oh, didn't you know?" Shippo asked, standing up again to face Inuyasha.

"Know what?" Kagome asked, looking suddenly worried.

"Soten and Koru left about five years ago," Shippo explained. "Soten said that she wanted to train to become stronger. I don't know where they went, but I do know that they went to Totosai's first, to get new weapons and armour."

"Wow, I never knew," Kagome muttered.

"Ah, who cares?" Inuyasha dismissed. "Here comes Miroku and Sango and their enormous family anyway."

Shippo turned around to look up into the sky in the direction Inuyasha was pointing, finding Hachi slowly floating downwards towards them, supporting Miroku, a weary-looking Sango, Kohaku and five children.

"Five kids?" Kagome muttered.

"No wonder Sango looks so tired!" Shippo whispered.

Hachi landed, and the four oldest children and Kohaku happily leapt off of his back. Miroku stopped to lift off the youngest child and help Sango down. Inuyasha let out an involuntary noise of alarm as he saw Sango press a hand to her swollen stomach.

"Damn it Sango, you're not pregnant again, are you?" he asked tactlessly.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome snapped. "How I miss those beads…"

Shippo grinned at Kagome's remark, silently thinking that he himself often missed the beads too.

"Wow," Kagome said as Miroku and Sango drew near. "You had five kids? The last time we saw you…"

"We had three," Miroku finished for her. "And a fourth on the way."

"How do you do it?" Kagome asked. "I've got my hands full with just one!"

"Miroku wanted a son," Sango replied, smiling tightly.

Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippo looked around the five children, who ranged from a small girl who looked barely two years old to a hyper-active nine year old.

"You had five girls?" Kagome asked.

"And you had one boy," Miroku said, touching a hand to Akiko's head, only for the little quarter-demon to swat it away again.

"You're both crazy, if you ask me," Inuyasha grumbled.

"No-one did ask you," Shippo dryly pointed out.

Inuyasha turned sharply, confronting Shippo. Shippo merely smiled, stretching to his fullest height to look Inuyasha directly in the eye.

"I preferred you when you were a little twerp who used magic tricks to fight," Inuyasha growled at him.

"And I preferred you when Kagome could still sit you," Shippo calmly replied.

"Okay, enough!" Kagome said hurriedly, holding up her hands to stop them.

Shippo stuck his tongue out at Inuyasha, before turning to Kohaku.

"Hi Kohaku," he greeted him.

"Hi Shippo," Kohaku replied.

"Of course Kohaku comes here all the time nowadays," Miroku said, causing Kohaku's face to turn red.

"Why?" Inuyasha dumbly asked.

"He's got a little crush on Rin!" Sango said, reaching up a hand to ruffle her brother's hair affectionately.

"Sango!" he groaned, leaning away from her.

"Come on, let's just go already," Inuyasha interrupted. "I don't exactly want to waste all my time here. You know I hate it here."

"Oh Lord Inuyasha, you say that every time that you come here, and yet I never hear you complaining when we serve dinner, now do I?"

Inuyasha turned back to the now dissipated barrier, pulling a face at the withered old fox demon in front of him.

"Are you still alive?" he asked sarcastically.

"Still alive and very busy with the children," Rinko replied, smiling dreamily.

"I thought you hated Kirara, you stupid old hag!" Inuyasha bluntly pointed out, walking past her towards his brother's castle.

Akiko hurried after his father, trying his best to mimic Inuyasha's way of walking as he fell into step alongside him. Kagome smiled as she watched them, but she could not escape the slight feeling of anxiety that always tugged at her when they visited Sesshomaru and Kirara.

"I see Inuyasha still hasn't gotten over his dislike for his older brother," Miroku said with a sigh.

"It's worse than just that," Kagome replied, her eyebrows knitting into a frown as she turned to look back at Miroku. "He's passed his prejudices onto his son."

Miroku frowned in question, but Kohaku began to laugh.

"Yes, I'd forgotten!" he said. "Akiko and Toga are just as competitive with each other as Inuyasha and Sesshomaru are!"

"Oh dear, stop your worrying!" Rinko said to Kagome. "They'll grow out of it!"

"Who are you talking about?" Shippo asked, grinning as he spoke. "Inuyasha and Sesshomaru or their two kids?"

"Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Inuyasha are still young–"

"Please stop," Kagome warned her.

Rinko obediently stopped talking, much to the surprise of the others.

"Come on, let's go," Kagome said, beckoning for the others to follow her as she started after Inuyasha.

* * *

Soten dropped to one knee, clutching an arm around her ribcage as it began to ache and burn with every ragged breath she drew. Shifting her eyes to one side, she saw Koru wasn't faring much better in his battle than she was; but at least he was still moving.

"You're just toying with me," she said between breaths, lifting her eyes to the figure standing in front of her.

Soten frowned as she found that her opponent was facing away from her. As dishonourable as it was, Soten knew that if she had had the strength, she would have attacked the demon from behind. Soten had passed almost five years travelling and fighting the strongest demons she and Koru could find to help them both to become stronger, until eventually, the only true test of her strength lay in confronting the famous – or perhaps the infamous – dog demon she now battled.

Despite being exhausted, coated in sweat, her hair fallen loose from its ties and her clothing torn in several places, Soten was infuriated to see that her proud and aloof opponent was still immaculately clean, not the least bit out of breath and was yet to break a sweat. Standing tall, with a mane of long, silky silver hair, and dressed in a red and white haori and hakama made of the finest silks, Soten's opponent did not even have any weapons or any armour.

"You said this was just a warm-up."

Soten became frozen by her surprise at finally hearing her opponent talk.

"Are we done now?"

The demon spun around, amber eyes locking onto Soten's fallen form. Soten gulped, finding that her opponent was even less affected by their battle than she had thought. Before she could prepare an answer however, Koru fell to the ground hard in front of her, screaming all the way as he fell. A cloud of dust puffed up around him, coating Soten's sweaty skin with dirt and leaving her choking for air.

"Ah-Un, stop!" the demon said loudly as the two-headed dragon swooped down towards Koru.

"You're showing us mercy?" Soten asked, using her staff and Koru's body to push herself to her feet.

"Uncle Inuyasha and his friends have arrived," the demon replied, flicking a hand through her hair in a way Soten had often seen Sesshomaru do.

"Oh…" Soten said slowly.

"My younger brother Toga is always fighting with our cousin Akiko, I must go now," she added. "But thank you for the… Exercise."

"Exercise?" Soten echoed.

The girl blinked, her face blank as she stared back at Soten. Despite feeling humbled that a child demon who had been alive in the world barely nine years had beaten her with ease, Izumi's uncanny resemblance to her proud father made her an intimidating opponent to any demon, and so Soten decided to accept her loss for the time being.

"Koru?" she whispered as Izumi began to slowly walk away, looking like a smaller replica of her father from behind. "Are you alright?"

Ah-Un flew off over the fields, and Koru slowly opened his eyes. He pushed himself onto his side, shaking his head. To Soten's surprise, Koru had, over the years, grown bigger. She had thought that he was some sort of mini imp, but he had grown large enough that she could comfortably ride him. He slowly got to his feet, the top of his head still only barely reaching Soten's waist in height.

"We had them beat," he said with a nod of his head, before choking out a mouthful of dust. "But they ran away to go play with Inuyasha's kid."

Soten pulled a face at Koru, but he remained determined.

"I've decided to stay here a little longer, Koru," Soten said decisively. "I know we've been here for over a month now, but I don't want to leave until I can beat them both."

"Beat them both?" Koru asked. "You mean I have to keep fighting that crazy two-headed dragon every day?"

"I managed to beat the poison cat demon, I just need to train a little harder and defeat the fire dog demon!" Soten said, clenching a fist in the air.

"The poison cat is just a little boy," Koru bluntly pointed out. "And the fire dog is just a little girl."

Soten scowled at Koru, who slid back a step, grinning nervously.

"Soten?"

Soten and Koru turned, both starting in alarm at the fox demon walking towards them.

"I thought it was you!" he continued. "Say, what happened to you?"

Soten turned to Koru, who quirked an eyebrow at her, eying her over and shaking his head. Looking down at her worn and dishevelled appearance, Soten quickly became embarrassed.

"Oh, well," she began, laughing nervously. "I was just… I was training."

"She got beat by Izumi again," Koru said bluntly.

Soten thumped a fist into the back of Koru's head, knocking him forwards, before grinning falsely at Shippo.

"Kirara's daughter beat you in a fight?" Shippo asked her.

Soten groaned, hanging her head.

"You look a mess, Soten," Shippo added. "Maybe you should have a bath, or something."

"Hmph, loser!" a voice sneered.

Soten looked down with wide eyes as a young boy with yellow and black hair marched past her, his head held high in the air.

"Hey!" Shippo called after him. "Toga?"

"You want a fight, fox demon?" the boy asked, skidding to a halt and spinning around to face Shippo.

Shippo's eyes widened in surprise as the little boy fearlessly glared at him, his bright green eyes shining with passionate anger.

"Just like his mother," Soten whispered to Shippo.

"Oh," Shippo said, nodding his understanding. "Hey Toga, Akiko's here," he called to the young poison cat demon.

"I'll kill him!" Toga yelled, turning and running off.

Shippo turned back to Soten, who smiled shyly at him.

"I should clean up," she said quietly, smoothing a hand over her bedraggled hair.

"Yes, you should," Shippo replied. "You stink."

Soten gasped, but before she could respond, Shippo ran off after Toga.

* * *

"Ah!" Inuyasha yelped, stumbling to a halt. "Oh, it's only you, Izumi."

Izumi stared back at Inuyasha with an expressionless look worthy of her father's.

"Wow, you've grown since we last saw you!" Kagome said.

Izumi moved her eyes to Kagome, but her face remained expressionless.

"Izumi, how are you?" Sango asked her.

"Very well thank you, Miss Sango," Izumi replied, bowing her head politely. "I trust you are well too?"

"She's pregnant again," Inuyasha bluntly answered.

Izumi turned her head to Inuyasha, slowly running her eyes over him with a look that made him shiver involuntarily.

"You're a jackass!" Akiko yelled, pointing a finger at Izumi.

"Oh look at you, you're adorable!" Rin cried, grabbing her arms around Akiko and lifting him up into the air.

"Hey, get off of me!" Akiko cried, struggling in her arms.

"Loser!" Toga laughed, pointing a clawed finger at Akiko.

"Oh, look at you, you're so cute!" Kagome squealed, grabbing Toga up into her arms.

"Hey!" he yelled, kicking and trashing in her arms. "Release me at once, mortal!"

"You look just like you father," Rin said sweetly as she placed Akiko back on his feet.

Akiko grunted indignantly in reply, straightening out his clothing.

"And you are so like your mother, Toga!" Kagome said as she lowered Toga to the ground.

"Hey jackass, I hope you've been training real hard!" Akiko yelled, pointing at Toga.

"Fool!" Toga spat back. "I could defeat you with both my hands tied behind my back!"

The two growled, baring their teeth at each other.

"Now children, no fighting!" Rin warned them.

"Die!" Akiko cried, leaping at Toga.

As the two collided, they fell to the ground, with Akiko on top of Toga.

"Perish, you fool!" Toga snarled, shoving Akiko over and pinning him down.

"Hey, stop that!" Kagome cried, moving towards them.

"Toga, leave your cousin alone!" Rin said, grabbing the back of Toga's haori and pulling him back.

Kagome and Rin managed to pull both boys apart and to their feet, but moments later they burst free and flew at each other again. As the others shouted at them to stop, Izumi calmly glanced from her brother to her cousin, before taking a step forwards and grabbing them both by the hair at the back of their heads. They barely had time to react before she brought her hands sharply together, knocking their heads together.

"Ow!" they both cried, falling back from each other with tears in their eyes.

Inuyasha looked down at both boys before turning his attention back to his niece, again cringing at her resemblance to his brother.

"You're welcome, uncle Inuyasha," she said flatly, her voice still devoid of emotion.

"Sango!"

"Huh?" Sango mumbled, looking up. "Oh, Kirara!"

Sango started to waddle towards her old friend, who was racing towards her with her arms in the air, looking as much like a child as she ever had. Kirara quickly reached Sango, grabbing her arms around her and squeezing her into an uncomfortably tight embrace.

"Ooh, sorry Sango!" she said quickly, stepping back and looking down at Sango's swollen abdomen. "Wow, you're having a sixth child?"

"Yes," Sango replied, forcing a smile. "Pray for me that this time I have a boy."

Kirara laughed, but Sango seemed less than humoured.

"Miroku, Inuyasha, Kagome, Kohaku!" Kirara called, waving a hand at them.

Hooking an arm through Sango's, Kirara started towards her old friends, her smile fading as she saw the two boys on the ground.

"What happened here?" she asked, glancing between the two.

"He started it!" Akiko quickly replied, pointing at Toga.

"Liar!" Toga yelled back.

Kirara paused, looking at each boy in turn before turning to her daughter for a more sensible explanation.

"They both attacked each other at the same time," Izumi explained.

"Hey, it's not Akiko's fault," Inuyasha said, much to Kagome's surprise.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha with wide eyes: she rarely heard Inuyasha defend his son in anything, since he usually insisted that his son would learn about life by defending his own name and correcting his own mistakes.

"Oh?" Kirara said, narrowing her eyes slightly at Inuyasha.

"If you'd taken a normal demon as your mate, none of this would have happened," Inuyasha continued. "I still don't understand why you had to run off with that jackass."

"Hey, don't talk about my father like that!" Toga cried, leaping to his feet to confront Inuyasha.

"Don't talk to my father like that, runt!" Akiko snapped, leaping up in front of Toga.

"Who are you calling a runt, idiot?" Toga retorted.

Akiko shoved Toga back with both hands, and the two began fighting again, leaving Kagome and Rin trying their best to wrench them apart again.

"Inuyasha, I love your brother," Kirara said.

"That's not possible!" Inuyasha argued. "He's such an arrogant bastard!"

Inuyasha let out a choking sound as he suddenly found a clawed hand clenched around his throat.

"Izumi!" Kirara yelped, her eyes doubling in size at what she saw.

"Let go of me!" Inuyasha warned.

But Izumi stubbornly held onto Inuyasha's throat, her eyes red and her fangs lengthened in her jaws.

"Izumi, stop that right now!" Kirara ordered.

"I won't let anyone talk badly about my father!" Izumi snarled, her eyes still fixed on Inuyasha.

Kirara started towards them, but stopped after just two steps as a hand grabbed Izumi's arm, yanking her back from Inuyasha. Izumi instantly opened her hand, her eyes fading to amber once more and becoming uncharacteristically large and worried as she looked up at the person holding her back.

"Heh, I see the apple didn't fall too far from the tree, huh Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha asked, smirking at his brother.

Sesshomaru raised his eyebrows at Inuyasha, before slowly and purposefully moving his eyes to the two boys. Inuyasha followed his lead, inwardly cringing at the scene playing out before them.

"Kiss my feet!" Akiko yelled as he tried to stuff one of his bare feet into Toga's mouth.

"Likewise," Sesshomaru said, turning back to Inuyasha. "I see your boy has just as much grace and finesse as you do, dear brother."

"Hey, they're just playing!" Inuyasha hurriedly defended himself.

"Your son is older than mine," Sesshomaru pointed out.

"Yeah, and your son is a pure demon!" Inuyasha argued back. "I've seen him transforming! He's a cat, like her!"

Inuyasha pointed at Kirara as he spoke, who shook her head, opening her mouth as though she wanted to say something to contradict him.

"Except he has your poisonous claws and fangs!" Inuyasha added, pointing at Sesshomaru. "And your crazy girl just tried to strangle me! I'm a guest here, teach the little pest some manners!"

Sesshomaru paused, before yanking Izumi forwards again. She stumbled forwards, digging her heels into the ground to stop herself from colliding with Inuyasha. She slowly looked up at her father, her face almost as emotionless and blank as his, bar the vague look on suppressed fear that tugged at her features.

"Why did you try to strangle the life from Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru asked her.

"Because…" Izumi began, her voice shaking despite her best attempts to remain stoic. "Because he called you an arrogant bastard, Sir."

Sesshomaru did not respond immediately to her response, and Izumi's expression slipped a little further, her eyebrows lowering and her eyes widening in her fear. Sesshomaru opened his hand, releasing her arm. He then lifted his hand to her head, touching his palm to the top of her head.

"Good girl," he said softly.

Izumi sighed in relief, flashing a smile at her father before quickly regaining her composure and adopting her aloof, emotionless look once more.

"What?" Inuyasha yelled. "What the hell did you do that for, you stupid jackass? Now she thinks it's okay to try to kill me!"

"I expect my children to look after each other, and to uphold the honour of their family's name," Sesshomaru calmly replied.

"She tried to kill me, Sesshomaru!"

"You said yourself, she is just a child."

"A child who can turn into a gigantic dog demon, nearly as big as you in your true, hairy-assed form!"

"I wonder if your mouth stopped running if your brain might actually start working."

"Look who's talking? You never shut-up! And you're always speaking crap! You're just still mad because I got the Tetsusaiga!"

"I am not so petty as you, Inuyasha."

"Oh yeah?"

Inuyasha pulled the Tetsusaiga from his side, still encased in its scabbard, and began waving it around in front of Sesshomaru's face, sticking out his tongue at his older brother. At his side, Toga and Akiko stepped apart from each, both tilting their heads in opposite directions as they watched Inuyasha in a state of bemusement. A silence slowly built around the group, and was only broken when Shippo spoke up.

"And that was how I managed to convince old man Totosai to make me this sword," Shippo said to Kohaku.

"Wow," Kohaku replied, nodding his head. "Do you think I could use the same trick to get him to make me some new armour?"

Shippo shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"We should go inside now," Rin suggested. "I suppose it would be cruel to confuse Master Jaken any longer."

"Have you been playing tricks on him again?" Kohaku asked, smirking at Rin.

"Only because you told me to!" she replied.

Kohaku laughed, and together with Shippo, he followed Rin back towards the castle. One by one the others slowly walked after them, until soon only Inuyasha and Sesshomaru remained standing outside in the extensive gardens of the Inu Royal Palace.

"Are you finished gloating yet?" Sesshomaru asked his brother.

"I dunno, jackass," Inuyasha sarcastically replied. "Are you finished being ugly yet?"

"Perhaps you would prefer to sleep outside tonight?" Sesshomaru calmly replied.

"Keh, better that than sleep in a place that reeks of you!"

"Very well. I am certain the servants will enjoy partaking in your share of the food tonight."

Sesshomaru turned on his heel and began to walk back towards the castle, leaving his brother floundering behind him.

"Damn it, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yelled after him. "I hate you!"

"The feeling is mutual, little brother," Sesshomaru muttered, before disappearing into the castle.

Inuyasha tied the Tetsusaiga at his side once more, grumbling under his breath as he did so, before stomping his way up to the castle. He did not care where he slept that night, whether it was in the family wing of the castle, in the servants' quarters, in the garden, or even in a tree beyond the boundaries of the castle grounds, but Inuyasha was not about to surrender his share of the food for anyone or anything; not even his pride.

* * *

Sesshomaru looked up into the night sky, basking in the soft light of the full moon that flooded the courtyard. On such a clear night, he often wandered out onto the balcony of his tower to contemplate any concerns he had. The air was still and silent, and the light of the moon and stars gave an added layer of tranquillity to the atmosphere.

But, Sesshomaru thought to himself, apparently on this night, he would not be allowed to enjoy the serene environment alone. A sniff of the air informed him that a demon was stalking him from the depths of his room.

"You have a perfectly serviceable room of your own," he said, his voice quiet but firm and clear. "Although I have yet to see you use it."

"It's boring down there."

Sesshomaru turned his head to one side, looking back over his shoulder as Kirara stepped out of the shadows and onto the balcony.

"And besides, you would miss me if I stayed down there all the time," she added, smiling coyly at him.

Sesshomaru turned his head away from her, tilting his chin upwards with an air of indifference. Kirara walked forwards to stand at his side, looking up at him, a hint of a smile still present on her face. Deciding that she was in another one of her "playful" moods, Sesshomaru kept his head in the air, pretending to ignore her presence whilst trying to figure out what she was planning to do next.

Kirara pursed her lips to suppress a smile. She could tell that Sesshomaru knew she was toying with him, and as usual, he apparently thought that he had out-witted her. These games, Kirara thought to herself, were the best of all. Knowing all the best tricks for breaking through his air of impassiveness, Kirara took a moment to pick the most appropriate for their situation, before again biting back a grin.

"Oh," she mumbled, hunching her shoulders slightly and forcing a small shiver.

As she had expected, Sesshomaru instantly removed his fur boa and turned around to wrap it around her body. As he turned to face her, Kirara looked up into his eyes, allowing her smile to slowly grow wider as he slowly brought his eyes to hers, his fingers gripping into the fur at her shoulders.

"You see?" she whispered. "You're not really so unfeeling as you would have everyone believe you are."

"How interesting," Sesshomaru replied, his face blank of emotion and his voice betraying nothing of his true feelings. "You see my actions as an act of sympathy. A kind gesture because you felt too cold out here."

"But of course," Kirara replied.

"On the contrary," Sesshomaru replied, his voice a little lower as he gripped his hands into fists around the fur, his action forcing Kirara to stumble a step closer to him. "I now have you exactly where I want you."

"Very funny," Kirara scoffed, twisting her body in an attempt to turn away from him.

To her alarm, Kirara found that the fur had tightened around her shoulders to the point that she could not turn in either direction, nor could she move back. The only direction she could move freely in was forwards, and forwards only brought her closer to her mate. Kirara's smile slowly gave way to a frown, a small part of her disappointed and angered at her defeat.

"Maybe next time," Sesshomaru whispered.

Kirara abruptly met his eyes, her frown fading as she saw a slight flicker of mischief pass over Sesshomaru's eyes. Although his face remained almost blank, Kirara could distinctly make out a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

"I'll get you one day, Lord Sesshomaru," she said slyly.

"I hope that you do, Lady Kirara," he replied.

Kirara giggled, leaning closer to her mate, who in turn leaned closer to her, tilting his head slightly as the space between them decreased. Kirara closed her eyes in anticipation of a kiss, only to open them again a second later at the sound of a loud, high-pitched voice screaming across the courtyard.

"Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!"

Kirara looked first at Sesshomaru, who had turned his head away from her, looking out towards the apparent direction of the disturbance. Turning her head, Kirara saw Akiko fall to the ground in an ungraceful pile of red cloth. A second later, Toga dropped down next to him, growling at his fallen form. Toga began to stalk towards Akiko, but Akiko slyly swung around one leg, whipping Toga's legs out from under him and throwing him back onto his back.

"Stupid jackass!" Akiko snorted, standing up and readjusting his clothing, looking and sounding more like his father than ever, in Kirara's opinion.

"I'll show you!" Toga snarled.

Kirara gasped as her son's eyes turned red, glowing through the darkness as his body began to slowly mutate. Akiko took two nervous steps back, yelping as Toga's body shot into the air in a ball of light. A second later, a large cream and black cat landed in front of Akiko, green venom dripping from his fangs.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Koru yelled, diving towards Toga.

"Koru, look out!" Soten cried.

Koru screamed as Ah-Un dove towards him, unable to move before the two-headed lizard collided with him, sending him hurtling towards the ground.

"Fool, keep your eyes on your own opponent!" Izumi snarled.

Kirara gasped, turning to her daughter, who was floating in the air above the others. Her body was engulfed by a burst of bright orange flames, which she leapt out of a moment later in the form of a large silver dog, small spurts of fire licking around her ankles and the tip of her tail. Soten spun around, her jaw dropping as she saw the fire dog demon diving towards her. She hurriedly rolled out of harm's way, and Izumi landed hard on the ground, shaking her head with a disgruntled growl.

Akiko ran towards Izumi, grinning to himself as Toga bounded after him. Toga lunged forwards, swiping a paw at Akiko's head; but the quarter-demon dropped to the ground, and Toga's paw swung through empty air before whacking off the back of Izumi's head. Izumi instantly turned on her younger brother, snarling and baring her giant fangs at him.

Kirara gasped again, but before she could see what happened next, a door closed in front of her, blocking out the fight scene. Looking around, Kirara saw that Sesshomaru had dragged her back into his room and closed the balcony doors. She looked up at him questioningly, but as usual, his expression was blank.

"We didn't see that," he said quietly.

"We…" Kirara began, turning her head back towards the closed doors.

Sesshomaru leaned forwards and gently placed a kiss on her cheek. Kirara smiled as something inside of her melted, and she turned back to face Sesshomaru, delighted to find that, even after ten years together, his touch still had the same effect on her.

"See what?" she asked, snaking her arms around his neck.

As Kirara moulded herself into Sesshomaru's embrace, the two became oblivious to the struggle that continued on outside of the castle.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! I'm telling mother!" Toga sobbed, as he lay on his back in his human form, trying his best to block his sister's attacks.

Izumi had also returned to her human form, and was pinning her brother down with one hand whilst punching at his torso with the other. Akiko stood back and grinned smugly at the whole scenario, despite the glower Soten was giving him. A moment later however, Akiko's grin vanished as Izumi stood and turned on him.

Akiko's eye grew wide and he tried to back away from the angry dog demon, but to no avail. Izumi raised one hand to her opposite shoulder and then swung it around hard, backhanding the quarter-demon across the face.

"Where were we, thunder demon?" she snarled, rounding on Soten before Akiko had even hit the ground.

"Um…" Soten began nervously.

"Pst, Soten, look up there!" Koru whispered, poking Soten in the elbow.

Soten turned to the castle, looking up to a balcony to see Rin and Kohaku sitting together gazing lovingly at each other and Shippo standing by the railing looking down at the chaos below.

"If you back out now, Shippo will think you're a coward!" Koru added.

"Yes, thank you, Koru!" Soten drawled, before sighing roughly. "We were right about here, dog demon!" she said to Izumi, grabbing up her staff again and bringing it around towards the young girl.

* * *

 **A/N:** Probably an abrupt ending, but I was finding it quite hard to make a more definitive end.


End file.
